Secrets and trust
by Alijoe13
Summary: When Anakin has a dream about Ahsoka, he becomes alarmed and sticks close by her. But is that enough? When Ahsoka starts acting strangely, and Anakin gets worried and wonders if it's connected to his dream. But Ahsoka insists nothing is wrong...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there. Alright, lol, so this is my first fanfic, so be gentle. This is from Anakin's point of view and...well frankly, I suck at it. But it had to start here. Soo, just keep that in mind. Enjoy!**

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_He could barely see. Scarcely hear. Everything was very blurry and out of focus. The noise sounded like a comlink being jammed. Staticy, like a soft roaring. But he could sense. He could feel, think._

_And he didn't like what he sensed._

_Panic, anxiety, and stress. But something confused him. Because everything he sensed, he could also feel in himself._

_Suddenly, everything cleared. His vision and hearing. And the feelings intensified._

Anakin let out a small shout and jerked up out of bed, covered in sweat. He looked around his dark room on his ship, the _Resolute_, and realized he'd been dreaming.

But it hadn't seemed like a dream.

He'd seen Ahsoka, her face twisted with pain and streaked with sweat and blood. She wasn't crying out or yelling for help, or anything really. She was just laying on a metal floor. Her breathing came in shallow, tired gasps. He couldn't see anything but her face. Everything else was surrounded by a hazy blackness. That was all he could remember. But he knew there had been more.

What had happened? It was obvious that she had gotten hurt, but how?

_Okay Anakin, calm down. It was only a dream. There's no way that would ever happen._ Ahsoka was good. She was fast and agile, even for a Jedi, and especially for a Padawan her age. He had nothing to worry about…right?

He lay back down in bed, trying to slow his heart rate. And his thoughts. He could hear them both pounding in his ears.

He closed his eyes and attempted to breathe normally, but Ahsoka's face kept flashing before his eyes. And that obviously made it very difficult to relax. He would never fall back asleep with that picture in his head.

He opened his eyes again and flung back the sheets. He pulled on a shirt and started to reach for his boots before deciding to leave them off. He could be quieter without them and he didn't want anyone else to wake up because of him clomping around.

He stepped out into the hallway. He wasn't really sure why he was doing this, but he had to get rid of that image of her.

Ahsoka's room was only a little ways down the hall. He stopped in front of the door, hoping it wasn't locked. He didn't know if she slept with it unlocked or not. He'd never tried to get in without knocking before.

Thankfully, the door slide open easily with a soft _swoosh_. He walked through quietly.

She was laying on her back in bed, with her face turned to the wall, away from him. One of her hands rested on her stomach, while the other was up by beside her head, on her pillow.

Not wanting to wake her, Anakin moved very softly over to her bed. He looked at her for a second, wondering if there was any possible way that what he saw in his dream could become real. Then, very slowly so as not to bounce it, he sat down on the side of her bed.

She looked so young when she was asleep. Sure, she looked fairly young while she was fighting, but you didn't really think about that when she was jumping around, slicing down droids while wielding a deadly, green weapon.

He chuckled softly. Yeah, little things like age and appearance tended to slip your mind when shots were coming at you from all directions.

But when things were calm, when SHE was calm…

….Anakin didn't know if it was his laugh or simply his presence that did it, but Ahsoka stirred in bed, rolled over, and slowly opened her eyes. Then she jumped and gasped simultaneously when she saw someone was there.

"Easy, it's me," Anakin told her when he realized he'd startled her

"Master?" Ahsoka looked at him strangely, as if she didn't fully believe he was there. Or was confused as to why he was. Yeah, that was probably the more likely explanation.

"Yeah," he replied, answering her question, even though there was no need. She obviously knew it was him.

Her face suddenly looked as though she had just comprehended something.

"What's going on?" she said, starting to pull back the covers, even though she still looked half-asleep.

Anakin stopped her. He should have known she would have suspected something was happening if he came into her room in the middle of the night. They were on their way back to Coruscant from a mission they'd just completed, but that meant little. The Separatist often struck when you least expected.

"No, it's okay. Nothing's going on. We're all fine." _Except your master is losing his mind,_ he added silently.

"Oh." Then she looked at him questioningly. "Then what's wrong? Why are you here?" she asked, rubbing her still-tired eyes.

"I-it's nothing," he said, weakly.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He gave a small grin. "Really. It's nothing." He was a little more convincing this time.

Her stare turned into more of a glare.

That wasn't really what he was going for. "What?"

"You got out of bed, came all the way down to my room, and woke me up to tell me… it's nothing."

He laughed at the irritation in her voice. "Well, I didn't mean to wake you up."

The suspicious look returned. "Oh I see. So you came down here to spy on me while I slept." Her tone was soaked in sarcasm.

Well…yeah. Anakin struggled to come up with an excuse. "I...was...just checking on you." That wasn't a total lie.

Seeing that he was being serious, her eyes soften just a bit, and then turned confused. "Why?"

He was hoping she wouldn't ask that, but at the same time knew she would. "I don't know," he responded lamely. _Oh_ that _was brilliant. I'm sure you've got her convinced_ now.

But Ahsoka didn't answer. Maybe she could sense he didn't want to talk about it. _Like that's ever stopped her._ Maybe she was just tired.

He gave a small smile. "Go back to sleep," he said soothingly.

Ahsoka, although far from convinced, figured her Master would talk about it eventually and let the matter drop. She slowly slid back down under the sheets, then looked up at him again with an expectant expression.

"Aren't you going back to bed?" she asked when he made no move to leave.

He paused for a second, then answered. "No, I'm just gonna sit here a while, if you don't mind.

One of the white marks above her eyes rose, but then she shrugged and shook her head.

Anakin smiled again, but was short-lived as his dream came back to his mind.

Ahsoka hesitated, seeing her Master's troubled expression. Then she slid over so that half her bed was open.

Anakin glanced up to see her pull one of her pillows out from under her head and push it over to the head of the empty space on her bed.

Then she looked up at him and gave a quick smile. "In case you change your mind."

Anakin gave an answering smile and Ahsoka lay back down and close her eyes.

Anakin stared at his Padawan for a while, trying to keep his mind blank as she fell back asleep. She took on that calm look again; the one that made her look young and innocent. He sighed, then lay down beside her and stared up at the ceiling.

That couldn't be it. Sure Ahsoka was small and young for a Padawan. And… well yeah, occasionally, she could be reckless and impatient. But people said those same things about him, and he was still alive.

Anakin thought back over all his experiences.

Okay. Barely alive.

Many times, he'd had Ahsoka to thank for that. But that went both ways. Ahsoka had had some narrow escapes too. But together, they were next to impossible to stop.

So the only way his dream could ever become reality, was if Ahsoka and he were separated.

He turned his head to look at Ahsoka. He couldn't imagine life without her. He couldn't allow her get hurt if he could stop it. He would just have to keep an eye on her.

It's not that he didn't trust her. He trusted her with his life. But as Obi-wan had once said, she was learning from Anakin. And he was known as being more than a little reckless.

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**Ok, well, this maaaaaaay be just a liiiittle bit corny. lol, oh well. Just to let you know, I suck at starting stories. So the first few chapters will be a little ify. But once I get it going, it'll get better. Review! Constructive criticism is welcome. reviews won't affect if I continuethe story but they will affect how much of a priority it becomes. So the more you review, the faster I'll update. Thanks for reading!**

**-Ali joe**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Star Wars galaxy, I just play here!**

**Alright chapter two is up. No duh, right? Thank ya'll the reviews an for reading. Honestly, I didn't expect a response like that.**** By the way, for those of you who are wondering, this won't be an Anakin/Ahsoka fic. Ok well here's chapter two!**

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When Ahsoka woke up the next morning, she was surprised to sense her Master's presence close by.

_Really _close by.

She opened her eyes and jumped slightly to find herself less than a foot from Anakin's sleeping form. She sat up slowly, without waking him. At first, she was confused, but then last night's occurrence came to mind.

Well, sort of came to mind.

She hadn't exactly been fully awake last night. It kinda seemed like a dream to her. She remembered waking up to see her Master looking at her. She was a little embarrassed to remember how she'd jumped before she realized it was him. But, it was dark and he hadn't said anything before they went to bed that would make her expect a night visit, so how did he think she was going to react?

And what was he doing here anyway. He never did tell her. She hated when he acted like that. One minute, he was laughing and making fun of her. The next, he'd act so strange. Like the answer to what she thought was the most innocent question was a military secret and he had to make up excuses to tell her.

But he'd always been like that. She supposed the only thing she could do was prove that she could be trusted. And she felt that she was really starting to do that. To earn his trust. She'd helped complete a lot of missions on her own. Of course she didn't get any assignments by herself, but she didn't really mind that. She was still a Padawan, after all. She just liked the chances to prove herself.

Ahsoka turned to get out of bed when she realized that her Master was blocking the way. She craned her neck, trying to see a way off without climbing all over him. Anakin wasn't quite as long as the bed, so she scooted down to the foot of the bed and climbed off.

Anakin stirred but didn't wake up.

Ahsoka walked across the room and got out a fresh change of clothes. Then she left the room and walked down to the refresher to take a shower and change.

When she was heading back to her room, Rex stopped her in the hallway.

"Morning, Commander," he greeted after saluting.

"Morning Rex, what's up?" Ahsoka said in a cheerful tone that only she could manage.

"We'll be arriving at _C_oruscant in about one standard hour. Have you seen General Skywalker? He's not in his quarters."

Ahsoka arched an eyebrow. She thought he would have woken and gone back to his room by now. Was he still in hers? "Huh. Well don't worry about it. I'll find him and let 'im know."

Rex nodded and started back down the hall towards to bridge.

Ahsoka watched him leave for a moment. Then she slowly turned her head towards her room and smiled mischievously. Then she started in that direction.

When she walked through the door, the first place she looked was her bed.

Sure enough, he was still there. And, boy, did he looked comfortable.

Anakin had rolled over to his stomach and was stretched out so he covered the whole bed!

_I'm lucky I made it through the night without him smothering me! _But Ahsoka couldn't help but snicker. She walked across the room to where her boots were sitting beside the dresser. As she pulled one on, she levitated the other with the force and, with a wave of her hand, sent it hurling across the room towards her bed…and right into her Master's unfortunate back.

It must have hit him harder than she meant it to, or he's just paranoid, because the moment it hit him, Anakin jumped and spun in a jerking motion onto his back. Unfortunately for him, there wasn't enough room on the bed to do that…

"Wha-whoa…umph!" Anakin landed on the floor in a tangle of blankets, pillows, and, well, himself.

Ahsoka stared for a moment, trying to decide whether it was a wise idea to laugh right now, but it really didn't matter because the next second she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Anakin, of course, glowered at her.

"Th-that, worked out _way _better than I _ever _could have planned," she managed to gasp out between cackles.

"Why did you have to plan anything?" Anakin muttered, trying to detangle himself from the mess.

"Ah, well, you know that saying, Master," Ahsoka said, still giggling. "Comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable." She laughed again. "And you looked _far _too comfortable."

Anakin gave Ahsoka a very… interesting look, then picked himself up off the floor, throwing everything he proficiently dragged off the bed in his graceful reaction back onto the mattress. "Well, there are a lot simpler, not to mention _polite_ ways to wake someone up. And I have never heard that saying before."

Ahsoka pretended to look around, searching for someone, before looking back at Anakin. "I'm sorry, did _you _just criticize me because something I did wasn't…polite?"

"Ha ha ha." Anakin said responded sarcastically.

Ahsoka grinned. "And as for the simpler part, all I did was throw my boot at you," she responded, retrieving said item. "Doesn't get much simpler than that. You flipping out like it was droid fire wasn't part of my plan. It was just a lucky side effect."

Anakin glared at her and opened his mouth to say something but Ahsoka cut him off.

"Oh, and Rex says we'll be at Coruscant in about an hour," she glanced at the chronometer sitting beside her bed. "Of course, it's about half that by now," she said casually.

"What!" Anakin ran through the door and down the hall.

Ahsoka hadn't realized until now that he wasn't even wearing any shoes. And with his hair sticking up and his clothes a mess, he really looked ridiculous. The whole situation struck her as funny and she laughed again.

_Hmm, he was completely normal, at least for him, _Ahsoka thought, as she yanked on her other boot. _I wonder what was going on with him last night. That whole 'nothing' talk was a bunch of garbage._

Ahsoka had hoped that her Master would bring it up when he awoke, but he hadn't said a word. So she'd just have to bring it up. She wished she had some idea of what it was though. It was probably silly of her to dwell on it like this. After all, it had never happened before. But that very fact made her even more suspicious. Something about her Master's behavior just plain bothered her.

The only thing Ahsoka could think of that happened during the night was…maybe he had a nightmare? She knew he did sometimes. But that seemed silly to even think about. The idea that Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, Hero with no fear, would come running to his Padawan's room after a nightmare was ridiculous. Especially when he's had them before and could handle himself fine.

The thought crossed her mind that maybe it was different this time, like, maybe it was about her? But she instantly disregarded it. If he'd had a nightmare about her, he would have told her. It had to be something else.

But the only other thing that seemed to even remotely make sense was that maybe he gotten a call on his comlink. But that didn't really make sense either because if it had that bad or important, he would have said something about it.

Maybe it had nothing to do with her. Maybe he just didn't want to be alone…..in the middle of the night. Yeah, _that_ made sense.

_Well, that settles it. I _have _to know. And I _am_ going to find out. _

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**Review if you like! More reviews=faster updates. :-)**

**-Ali Joe**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three! This chapter took a little longer than I would have liked to get up, but like I said before, starting stories is kinda hard for me. But things should move along a little faster now. Also you should probably know that it was about 3am when I wrote this and I'd gotten very little sleep the entire week, so if anything in this seems a little confusing, just know I was working on about 3 or 4 hours of sleep. lol Ok enjoy!**

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Ahsoka intended to confront Anakin right after they landed on Coruscant. But the moment they stepped off the ship, they were met by an officer who told them to go straight to the Jedi temple. The council had requested a meeting to brief them for mission.

"Another mission?" Ahsoka asked as they walked through the halls on their way to the Jedi council chambers. "We only just back from a one."

"I know," Anakin responded thoughtfully. "Which means this must be really important if they want to meet with us right away."

Ahsoka may have just been imagining this, but it seemed to her like her Master was acting strange. Alomst uneasy. Was he seriously nervous about this sudden assignment? They'd been sent on mission after mission without even being given a chance to come back at all. They'd barely been given time to catch their breath before, so that didn't line up. "Are you ok, Master? You seem…" she paused, looking for the correct word,"…on edge." That wasn't really right, but it worked well enough.

"I'm fine Snips," he replied easily. But something in his tone sounded off. Then he grinned. "Are _you _ok?"

She was instantly suspicious of the way he shifted focus. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, a touch of the snippiness for which she was named for in her voice. "Will you stop avoiding the subject?"

"What subject?" He said casually.

Ahsoka sighed, aggravated. "Never mind."

Anakin's lips twitched at her tone.

A few minutes passed and Ahsoka decided to re-direct. Directly. "Why did you come into my room last night?"

"What do you mean?"

He was obviously stalling. "It's a pretty simple question, Skyguy!" she snapped.

Anakin gave a small smile, then said "I already told you last night, whether you remember it or not."

She saw what he was doing. He was trying to make her think that he'd already explained it to her last night when she woke up, but she was too tired so she either didn't remember or didn't comprehend it at the time. She knew that wasn't true and it wasn't going to work. So she was adamant in her reply. "No, you didn't. All you said was that you were checking on me."

"That's it."

He said it like it was the most normal thing in the galaxy for him to sneak into her room in the middle of the night. Then it occurred to her that maybe it was. "Do you do that a lot?"

He looked at her, confused. "No, that was the first time I'd ever done it." _Wow, a straight answer._ But then he suddenly looked as though he regretted his statement.

The white marks above Ahsoka's eyes pushed together. "Then-" she started to say but Anakin cut her off.

"We'll have to finish this later," He nodded his head towards a point in front of them.

Ahsoka glanced in ahead and saw the council chamber doors. Then she looked back at her Master. "Fine. Later."

As she looked away, Ahsoka could've sworn she saw a grimace flash across his face for a second.

They opened the doors and stepped through to see the council waiting on them. At least, those present. Only Master Windu and Master Yoda were physically in the room with them, but a few of the other members were present via hologram. However, most of the chairs were empty.

Ahsoka felt discouraged for a moment. _This war has us stretched out so thin._ Sometimes it seemed to her like it would go on forever. But then she brighten a bit. At least she could do her part to end it. She didn't know what she would do if she had to be one of those who couldn't fight to stop it. The war would end, because the Jedi would never stop fighting.

Ahsoka and her Master walked to the center of the room and then bowed respectfully to their Jedi Masters. Then Anakin spoke. "Hello Masters. You wished to speak with us?"

"Hello. Yes, we have another assignment for you," Master Windu responded, wasting no time.

Anakin nodded then spoke slowly. "With all due respect Master, couldn't this wait until we've at least unloaded from our last mission?"

This time Master Yoda spoke up. "Time to waste, we do not have. Urgent, this matter is. Orders to resupply your ship, we have already given. Being carried out as we speak, they are."

_Are any war matters not urgent? _But Ahsoka still knew that if they were already putting fresh supplies on the ship, it was vital. That meant they'd be leaving as soon as she and Anakin left this meeting. She turned to look at her Master.

Anakin's eyebrows rose for a moment then lowered again, indicating that his thoughts were along the same lines.

Master Windu nodded slightly then continued. "We've received word that the Separatists have started a new factory on Geonosis. We need you to take it out before it gets too far along."

"But that's ridiculous. We just destroyed a droid factory there. They can't seriously be trying to start another one so soon." Anakin said in astonishment.

"This one isn't a droid factory. It's a weapons factory. Or maybe more accurately, weapon factory."

Ahsoka and Anakin exchanged a glance. That didn't sound good.

"We've recently learned from clone intelligence that the Separatists are working a new grand weapon."

"What is it?"

"We don't know. That's also part of your assignment. Along with destroying the structure and weapon, we want you to find any plans for what they're building. Blueprints, outlines, even materials or chemicals they're using to build it. Anything you can get your hands on quickly. But taking out that factory is first priority. If finding plans will compromise that, forget it."

Anakin nodded. "Get in, blow it up, find plans if possible."

"Preferably not in that order," Ahsoka whispered with a grin.

Anakin glanced sideways at her and gave a small smile.

A couple of the Council members smiled too.

Master Windu even cracked a smile. "Agreed. May the force be with you both."

Ahsoka and Anakin bowed, then turned and walked out.

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"Why didn't we know about this factory when we were on Geonosis last time?" Rex asked.

They were now in the war room on the _Resolute_, on their way to said planet. They were planning the best way to take out the factory and find any plans that they could. Before them was a hologram of the factory and surrounding area. It wasn't a very big building. _How bad could this weapon be if the structure that it's being built in is only a little over half the size of a droid factory?_

"Apparently, it was all treated with extreme confidentiality. The Separatists really didn't want us to know about this one," Anakin said, answering Rex's question. "The council sent us out as soon as the Republic found out what they were up to."

"Which obviously wasn't soon enough. This place looks totally finished. Although, there isn't much to it," Ahsoka stated.

"Yeah," Anakin agreed. "But we shouldn't underestimate their defense in any case. We should stay together until we get the charges set on the reactor."

Ahsoka looked up at her Master, then at Rex, who looked about as confused as she felt.

Anakin, either oblivious to their confusion or ignoring it, continued speaking. "I think the best way to go in will-"

"Master, are you sure we should stay together?" Ahsoka interrupted. "I mean, we have to find the plans too. And, don't you think that would be easier to do if we split up?"

"Maybe, but like I said, this weapon is obviously top priority to the Separatists. They're going to try and keep it well protected. I don't want to take any chances."

Ahsoka blinked. _HE doesn't want to take any chances. Did I just hear that right? _She thought she said those words aloud but all that came out was, "yo…an…what?

Anakin rolled his eyes at her reaction. "Fine. Rex, you take some troopers to the data computer on the lower levels. It'll probably be the one least used and least heavily guarded. Ahsoka and I will go to the reactor room and set the charges."

"Master, I think Rex should be the one to go to the reactor. He's better at handling things like that, and I'm better at hacking computers. And shouldn't one of us go with them."

"He can handle it. I trust him."

"Yeah, so do I. But like you just said, the Separatists are gonna keep this thing well protected. So we should split ourselves more evenly."

"We're not splitting up," Anakin said firmly.

"Why not? Why can't you and Rex go down to the reactor and I take a squad down to the data computer to retrieve the plans? That's what we usually do on missions similar to this."

"This isn't like other times. This is going to be extremely dangerous, Snips." Anakin was talking a little louder than normal, though Ahsoka wasn't sure why.

"I know that. Which is why I think we should split ourselves up in a way that will be the most effective!" She raised her voice to match his.

"I'm not sending you off on a mission like this alone!"

It was obvious to Ahsoka that Anakin was a lot more upset by the idea than he should be. "You think I can't handle it?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it! Master, after everything that's happened over the past…however long I've been fighting by your side, I can't believe that you still think-"

"-This is different!"

"Why!? Because it's important?"

"No, of course not! You know I trust you, Ahsoka!

"Then why are you acting like this!"

"I-"Anakin didn't finish.

Ahsoka waited. And waited. And waited. But she and Anakin just stared at each other.

Ahsoka was angry, confused, and a little hurt by the fact that, dispite his words, her Master _still _didn't seem to trust her.

Anakin looked…not angry. He looked stressed. Like he wanted to tell her something. Or at least should tell her.

So Ahsoka waited, her anger slowly fading and glare softening.

Rex, who they both had nearly forgotten was there, cleared his throat.

Ahsoka could feel his discomfort. She knew he didn't like it when they argued in front of him. It made him feel as though his was seeing something private that he shouldn't be a part of. Which was partly true, they shouldn't be arguing in front of him. They shouldn't be arguing at all. Ahsoka knew that. She slowly looked up at him. She was a little ashamed of the way she acted. She heard Anakin take a deep breath. She pulled in a slow one, too.

Then Rex spoke, still a little uncomfortable, but he felt like he should try to clear the awkwardness. "I don't mind taking a squad down to the reactor core. We've handled missions like this before. I think if we get in and get out quickly, we can make it. Then you two can go to the data computer and the Commander can hack into the data files."

Ahsoka didn't say anything.

Anakin glanced at Ahsoka, then looked and Rex and said, "sounds like a good plan, Rex. We'll meet in the hanger in a few hours to drop, so you should probably go choose a team. "

Rex nodded, glad to have an escape. Then he saluted and left the room.

Ahsoka didn't move for a minute. Then she started for the door.

Anakin looked at her. "Ahsoka…" His tone was gentle and apologetic.

Ahsoka paused for a moment. She started to turn around so she was facing him, but she really didn't want to talk to him right now, and continued out of the room.

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**Review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**here's chapter four! Sorry this one's shorter but it was either going to be short or reeeeeeeeally long. Which I'm sure some of ya'll wouldn't mind, but it flows better this way anyhow. btw, this probably isn't going to be one of my best chapters but I couldn't get it to sound the way I wanted it to. But anyway, since I split this chapter off of the next one, I should have chapter five up tomorrow. or, since it's about one in the morning right now, I guess later today. lol, I know, late. But i'm a maaaaajor night owl. anyway....on to the main event!! lol, little crazy too, in case you hadn't noticed. :-)**

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Anakin decided they'd take the Twilight down to the surface of Geonosis. He, Ahsoka, Rex, and four other clones Rex had chosen had all loaded in and were flying down.

Anakin glanced at Ahsoka for the millionth time. She was looking out the window in front of her, seeming oblivious to his gaze.

He, Ahsoka and Rex were the only ones on the bridge, which was completely silent. It was a little uncomfortable. Normally, Ahsoka would break it with some crack about Anakin being in his own world and asking if it was nice there. Or that they were all being too serious and needed to be more like her. Then they'd all laugh and someone would make a comment about how interesting a world like that would be.

Of course, it was always something different. But always had the same outcome. They all felt more relaxed. Ahsoka had a way of making things seem a little less intimidating. Making things a little more at ease. Many times, her overly optimistic attitude drove Anakin half-crazy. But if he snapped at her about it, or she was upset for some other reason, he missed it and wanted her to continue. And she was definitely upset right now. And so they sat in a silence that he wished would end. He also wished could break it like she did. But it didn't help that he was part of the cause.

Oh, who was he fooling. He_ was_ the cause. He should have known this was the way she'd understand it. Like he didn't trust her. The same thing had happened the last time they were on Geonosis. _What is it about this planet!_ Last time, Anakin had told her she wasn't prepared for the mission and even Master Luminara had interpreted his words as his belief Ahsoka wasn't up to it. She and Master Luminara's Padawan, Barris, were to go destroyed the droid factory while he and Master Luminara distracted the droids. But something had gone wrong inside, and he'd nearly lost Ahsoka. He didn't want a repeat of that mission.

With everything going on; his dream, this sudden assignment, this new mystery weapon, he couldn't afford to let her out of his site. Not now.

Of course, this solved nothing of the problem at hand. He knew it was most likely dangerous to go on a mission with her mad at him like this. In this mood, Ahsoka would probably go off on her own and take on an entire battalion of droids, just to spite him. He had to talk to her. But talking about problems was _not _his strong suit. That was Obi-wan's field of expertise. He preferred talking with his lightsaber, which didn't help in this situation. If only he and Ahsoka could just battle it out with lightsabers. He almost laughed thinking about how, if he mentioned it, she'd probably agree to it.

Yeah…he couldn't do that. They had to talk. _This should be interesting._

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Ahsoka's Pov

Ahsoka just sat staring out the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Anakin looked at her again, then turn back to the front. She made no move to look or talk to him. She wasn't usually a big fan of the silent treatment, because one, it didn't solve anything. And two... well, honestly because she couldn't hold a grudge very well. But this was different. She wasn't ignoring her Master simply because she was mad. She just didn't know what to say to him. What do you say to someone you're close to, but who doesn't trust you?

"Rex, we'll be landing soon. Wanna go make sure everyone's ready?" Anakin announced suddenly.

Ahsoka turned to look at her Master, but he was just facing the front, so she turned around and looked behind her, at Rex.

Rex looked up towards Anakin, then met Ahsoka's gaze with a strange look of his own. Apparently, Ahsoka wasn't the only one who thought Anakin was acting a little weird. Rex shrugged. "Uh, sure. Right away, sir."

"Thanks."

Ahsoka knew what that was for, even if Rex didn't. Anakin wanted to be alone with her. Probably to talk. Which usually meant they'd end up arguing again. She turned to face forward again, without meeting the gaze she felt on her face.

"Ahsoka?"

She didn't move.

"Ahsoka, please hear me out."

She sighed. He sounded serious. She turned and looked straight at him. She wasn't really mad anymore. She wasn't really sure how she felt. Maybe confused.

Anakin was looking at her. He sighed too. "I'm sorry."

Ahsoka's expression didn't change. She wasn't sure what she was expecting him to say, but it was something along those lines, so it didn't really surprise her. If it affected her at all, it ticked her off some.

"For what? Not trusting me and thinking I'm a little kid? Or making your thoughts so obvious?"

He paused. "For, making you think those were my thoughts."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. She just waited for him to finish.

"I do trust you, Snips. How could I not? You've never given me a reason not to."

"Then were you so against me going without you? It's not like I haven't done it before."

"I just…" he paused. "…have bad feeling."

The way her Master said it, that didn't seem like that was enough. "About the mission?" she said slowly.

Anakin didn't answer right away. "Yeah."

_Could he be a worse liar? _"Okay, well, what does 'yeah' mean?"

"It means yes," Anakin said, his voice suddenly very steady. "Something just doesn't seem right about this. Everything about this mission happened very suddenly, and moved very quickly. I just don't want us walking into a trap."

Ahsoka nodded. "Okay. I get that. And…I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Anakin smiled. "I am too." Then he said suddenly, "For me snapping back. Not for you snapping at me. I mean, I'm sorry for that too but..." he trailed off.

Ahsoka laughed. "Yeah, I figured that, Master." Then she smiled big. "And don't worry, Skyguy. We can handle anything they throw at us! We always do!"

Anakin smiled back. "You'd better believe it, Snips!"

**

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**

Anakin's Pov

Anakin didn't like lying. But he couldn't tell Ahsoka about the dream! What if it scared her and she did something she wouldn't normally do because of it.

But the comment about the mission wasn't a total lie. It did have him edgy. Just not entirely for the reason he stated.

And something else he said was true too. He did have a bad feeling about it.

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**Ok well like I said, maybe not my best chapter, but the next ones should be better. Let me know what ya'll think! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star wars or any of the characters! **

**Hey, sorry I didn't get this up sooner. Yesterday was a lot busier than I thought it would be and I was gone all day. But it's up now! so here ya go, chapter five. **

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"Are you sure they didn't suspect an attack?" Ahsoka asked her Master as they crouched down behind a large crate across from four Managuards standing guard at a lift.

Up until now, they had been lucky….well, sort of.

They'd cut an entrance in the west side of the factory. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the opposite side of where the lifts to the data computers were. _What a stupid way to design a building! Who puts lifts on only one side!?_

The lift that the clones needed was in the center of the level. By some miracle, they'd been able to find it without being discovered. They only had to take out a few droids, which she was sure depressed her Master.

Ahsoka and Anakin had made their way to the other lifts that would take them to the lower levels. They'd snuck passed a lot of Managuards, Commandos, and super battle droids. But somehow, they had gotten all the way to the lifts, where they saw the four Managuards standing there, with no way around them.

_Managuards! Really! I thought these droids were supposed to be guarding General Tin-head, not factory lifts._

General 'Tin-head', or General Grievous as he was actually named, was known for always having at least two of his personal bodyguards close by. Those bodyguards were Managuards. They wielded purple electrostaffs that could deflect the Jedi's lightsabers. And also shock someone who came in contact with the ends.

"I didn't think they were," Anakin whispered, answering Ahsoka. "But I did say that they'd try to keep this thing protected."

"No kidding," Ahsoka whispered back. "So what do we do about those tinnies?

Anakin pursed his lips. "Well, it would probably be better if we didn't attract attention, but..."

"…but where's the fun in that?" Ahsoka finished with a grin.

Her Master's famous smirk appeared. Then he winked just before springing out of his hiding spot and landing right in front of the Managuards.

Ahsoka followed his lead, not that she had much of a choice.

The Managuards were caught completely off-guard (No pun intended ) and Anakin managed to slice one of them down the middle before the others even realized what was happening.

Ahsoka, landing beside her Master, blocked one's electrostaff and rolled under it. Then she swung a blow to its back, only to have it blocked. She'd fought these kind of droids before, but that didn't make it much easier. However, she could honestly say that fighting three with her Master was far easier than fighting three alone, which is what she had done the first time she went up against them.

She glanced over at Anakin, who was looking in her direction even though he was fighting off a droid of his own.

Ahsoka ducked under the electrostaff that swung at her head.

Anakin had turned back to the Managuard and was focusing on it, when Ahsoka noticed the third Managuard coming up behind him. He didn't seem to notice.

"Master!" Ahsoka called out. "Behind you!"

Anakin turned around just in time to dodge a strike that without a doubt would have killed him.

Ahsoka drew her attention back to her own opponent. The droid swung his staff, and Ahsoka caught it against her lightsaber. The droid pushed against her while Ahsoka pushed back and they entered a deadlock. Ahsoka strained against the Managuard and ricked a glance behind her at Anakin. He was still fighting the other two, but she saw an opening.

Ahsoka used the force to shove the Managuard back. Then she did a neat back flip over the droid behind her. When she landed, she sliced the droid fighting her Master in half. At the same moment, Anakin turned and destroyed the other droid. Then together they brought down the last one.

"Come on," Anakin said, deactivating his lightsaber. "We gotta get moving before something comes to see what all that noise was."

Ahsoka nodded and raced off towards the lift.

While they were riding down, Anakin's com started blinking. "Skywalker here," Anakin said after activating it.

"General. We're almost to the reactor," Rex's voice came sounding over the comlink. He sounded out of breath, like he'd been running. And still was.

"Good. Have you had any trouble?"

There was a short pause. "We're still here."

Anakin frowned and Ahsoka scowled at the voice coming from her Master's wrist. _That wasn't what he asked._ "Well, be careful, Rex. Let me know when the charges are set. Skywalker out."

When the lift came to a stop at their level, Anakin rushed out while Ahsoka followed close behind. They quickly found the data computer, guarded by two battle droids. Not a problem. They were piles of scrap within seconds.

Ahsoka rushed to the computer and started searching through files for anything she could find that would tell them what the Seppies were working on. But she didn't get very far before the computer locked her out. She uttered a sound that sounded like a cross between a groan and a growl.

Anakin turned to her. "What's wrong?"

"It needs a password. But I think-"

"Here, move. Let me see." Anakin interrupted.

"Master I-"

"Just move a second"

Ahsoka let out a huff. "Uh, fine," she muttered, getting up.

Anakin took her place in the chair in front of the computer. He leaned over the controls.

"Just be careful not to try too many things," Ahsoka told Anakin, pointing to a few keys. "If you enter the wrong combination too many times-" Anakin cut her off. Again.

"I know, I know," he said distractedly, waving his hand at her.

Ahsoka glowered at him. "Yeah, right."

Anakin tried a few different hacking tricks he'd picked up, but the truth was, he wasn't very good at this kind of thing. He was an expert mechanic, and could fix just about anything. But when it came to computers, he was pretty much useless.

Ahsoka patience was at the breaking point when suddenly an alarm starting ringing out.

"Blast it!" Anakin yelled out. "What happened?"

"You entered too many tries! It's a safety feature!" Ahsoka yelled back.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"_I did!!_ Move!"

Ahsoka pushed her Master out of the way and her hands went flying across the controls. Anakin didn't even have time to see what she hit. Suddenly the alarm shut off.

Ahsoka looked around and let out a short sigh a relief. But she knew it wouldn't be long before someone would be there. She heard Anakin's comlink start beeping, but she ignored it. She started trying to get around the password when Anakin answered the call. She didn't pay enough attention to hear what was said but she thought she caught something about an alarm and her name. _If that bantha is blaming this on me…_

Anakin came to her side. "We gotta go. Rex says the charges are set and they're on their way out. And thanks to that alarm, we don't have any time left."

"Maybe if you had listened to me, we'd have more time," she mumbled.

"Not now, Ahsoka," he retorted. "We gotta move."

"Just hold on, I've almost got it."

Anakin let out a hard breath. "Hurry."

A few second later, the screen lit up. "Got it!"

"Nice work, now download it to a data chip and let's move!" Anakin said impatiently.

"Alright, alright," she responded, putting a chip into the computer.

While she waited for the data to download, she looked at few more files. Suddenly her eyes widened. "By the force..." she whispered.

Anakin heard her and looked over, his voice wary. "What is it?"

Ahsoka didn't respond at first. Then, "I know why this place was so small."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

She turned her head halfway around in his direction without taking her eyes off the screen. "They're not building a weapon here."

Anakin looked confused. "It's not a weapons factory?"

"No…it's a weapons factory. Just not in the way we assumed."

Anakin's confused look turned outright lost. He was about to say something when another alarm went off.

"I'll explain later! That's our cue to go." Ahsoka said, grabbing the chip from the computer and her Master's arm as she ran by.

Anakin didn't comment, he just ran after her.

They were almost back to the lift when suddenly Ahsoka stopped short.

"Wait."

"No, Ahsoka. The charges are set and more droids are gonna be here any minute!" Anakin said firmly.

"I know, but it's important!" she replied racing towards a door.

Suddenly two Managuards came marching through a door across the hall. But she didn't stop. Her Master could handle himself.

"Ahsoka!" she heard her Master yell. "Don't go off alone!"

But Ahsoka didn't have time for her Master's paranoia. She headed through a door and down another hall, until she came to another room.

A chemical lab to be specific.

She's seen what the Separatists were planning. And what this building was for. The whole thing was less of a factory and more a lab. They were experimenting with different poisons and acids, trying to create a certain kind of toxin. The plans she'd downloaded had all information on the weapon they planned to create with it.

She walked into the lab. There were a bunch of glass viles, containers, and test tubes filled with hundreds of liquids on counters. Some were even glowing. But Ahsoka could sense something else in the room too. A person.

She looked around the room. Suddenly, she felt a disturbance in the force. Behind her.

She whipped around in time to see a female Echani dressed in a white lab coat spring towards her. Ahsoka lunged out of the way. This was obviously a scientist that was working here. If Ahsoka could bring her in, they might be able to learn more information from her.

Ahsoka started towards her and opened her mouth to say something, but the scientist suddenly pulled out a viroblade. _What kind of a scientist carries around a viroblade!_ Ahsoka didn't even have time to pull out her lightsaber before the woman charged her, yelling fiercely.

"Hey!" Ahsoka yelled. She tried to dodge every swing and looked for a chance to get out her weapon, but she was having a hard time. The woman swung the blade horizontally across Ahsoka's body and Ahsoka bent backwards to avoid it.

Unfortunately, she didn't move fast enough and the blade grazed the front of her right shoulder, slashing a short gash into it.

Ahsoka gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. Then she grabbed the scientist's wrist and swung her into the counter. The viroblade flew from the woman's grasp.

Glasses went flying, shattering on the floor. Their contents went spilling out everywhere. But the woman was relentless. She jumped Ahsoka, throwing her to the ground. Ahsoka fell flat into a puddle of orange liquid. It stung the cut on her shoulder. She let out a hiss of pain and grabbed at the gash. Of course, her hand was also dripping with the fluid, so that only made it worse. She struggled to her feet.

The woman raced to the door, but Ahsoka caught her first.

"Let me go!" the Echani screamed as Ahsoka trapped her hands behind her back.

"After you just attacked me! Probably not!" Ahsoka retorted.

Suddenly, they heard an explosion, and the whole building shook.

"Ahsoka!" Her Master came running down the hall. He looked suspiciously at the woman scientist Ahsoka was restraining, but there was no time to ask. "This place is about to come down!"

Ahsoka nodded and, with Anakin's help, dragged the woman, kicking and screaming down the hall to the lift. Naturally, it wasn't working, so Ahsoka, jumped up the shaft. Anakin used the force to throw the woman up after her and Ahsoka grabbed her as she came through the opening. She stood there fighting to keep a hold of the Echani while she wait for Anakin to follow. It was hard because every time the woman pulled away, Ahsoka's shoulder pulled too.

Thankfully, Anakin came up quickly and assisted Ahsoka.

The building shook more and started collapsing around them as they ran to a window at the end of the hall. Anakin pushed it out with the force and Ahsoka jumped out, pulling the woman with her. Anakin followed.

It wasn't a long fall. Ahsoka and Anakin cushioned their fall with the force. Then they threw their hands up and used to again to catch the screaming scientist, who no doubt thought she was falling to her death. Then Anakin rushed over and grabbed the woman's wrist before she could escape.

"Come on!" he yelled to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka, picked herself up and rushed after her Master, away from the falling building.

Once they were far enough away, they turned around and watched it collapse. Soon everything was still.

Ahsoka's shoulder was burning and she looked down at it. It was bleeding. She reached up and wiped away the blood before her Master could see it. Then she turned to face him. "Where's Rex?" she asked, worried.

"He's fine," he said, looking down at her. "They were all out long before us. He said he'll bring the Twilight to our position."

She nodded when she heard the ship overhead.

Anakin heard it too. He glanced up at it, then back down at the woman, whose arms he was holding behind her back. "And you are going to answer some questions," he said fiercely.

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**Thanks for reading! Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, sorry this took so long to get up and that it's a little short. But I wrote it, then about halfway through changed my mind about something. There are a lot of things revealed and set up in this one so it had to be a certain way. Which is also why it's so short. but anyway, here's chapter 6. Enjoy!**

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Ahsoka followed her Master down a hallway on the _Resolute. _He was holding one arm of the scientist they'd captured in the Separatist factory...lab...whatever it was. She didn't fight them now. In fact, she hadn't fought them since they'd gotten aboard the Twilight. Ahsoka thought it was really strange.

When they reached the interrogation room, Anakin sat the woman down and then moved to the other side of the table.

Ahsoka stood against the wall. She had her arms folded in such a way that one hand rested just over the cut on her shoulder, without looking unnatural. She didn't want her Master noticing it. She'd never live it down if he found out that she'd gotten hurt by a scientist who didn't even fight them now.

Ahsoka glanced down at the gash and made a face. She hadn't had a chance to clean it, so right now, it looked a lot worse than it was. It was still stinging a little bit and looked red and irritated. _Well, at least it's not bleeding anymore._

To distract herself, she turned her attention to the woman. This was her first chance to really look at her. She wasn't very big, She was taller than Ahsoka, but not as tall as Anakin. She looked like a fair-skinned human, except for her hair and eyes. Her hair was white, and her eyes were liquid silver. She didn't look like the skilled fighter she was. She was slim, and not very built. Under her white lab coat, Ahsoka could the woman dressed in a form-fitting white body suit. But unlike a normal body suit, this was only came down as far as the coat did, to just past her knees. It was a rather strange look. Ahsoka's eyes turned back to her face. She couldn't really see the woman's expression, but her face had a gentle look to it. _What kind of a Separatist supporter who believes strong enough in the cause to attack a Jedi…looks kind? _

Anakin's voice pulled Ahsoka from her reverie.

"Ok. I'm just going to get right down to it. Who are you and why were you working with the Separatists? And why don't you just save all of us a lot of trouble and tell us everything."

The woman looked up at him, her face… did she look apologetic? Sad?

She did. But more than that. She looked ashamed.

Ahsoka was surprised to find herself feeling a little sorry for the woman who tried to kill her. Those feelings, to her astonishment, intensified with the Echani's words.

"My name is Brianna Sheii. I'm a scientist." _Yeah, I got that much. _"And, I'm not exactly working _with _the Separatists. I'm working for them."

"What's the difference?" Ahsoka couldn't help asking.

Brianna turned to the young Togruta, looking, once again, apologetic. _Hmm, maybe she's sorry about earlier._ But Ahsoka didn't have time to think before the woman started."Working with them implies a choice." She said sadly.

"And you didn't make one?" Anakin's voice had softened a bit from a minute ago.

"I didn't _have _one."

Anakin flicked a look at Ahsoka. She had no idea what her face looked like. There were mixed emotions of surprise, confusion, uncertainty, and impatience flowing through her right now and she didn't know which ones, if any, made it to her face.

Brianna caught the look they had exchanged and started again. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. I come from the planet Echan but I've lived on the planet Baroonda for the past few standard years. I work with plant extracts there. Toxins, poisons, things like that. Sometimes, I can convert them into healing substances. I don't know how the Separatists found out about us, but they came and said they had a job for us."

"Us?" Anakin questioned.

"Yes. Me and my little sister, Atrisian. She lives and works with me. She studies chemicals. Acids."

Anakin's chin went up slowly, as if he was going to nod, but it didn't fully lower back down to its normal position. "What was this job they had for you?"

Brianna looked up at him. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, debating something. Then she seemed to make a decision, because a look of resolve came over her face. "We were supposed to make a…a chemical of some sort. It was to be used as a weapon against the Republic. The chemical was a certain mixture of different acids and poisons. The acid had to be strong enough to eat through your troopers' armor, but not enough to render the toxin ineffective. The poison was then supposed to infect the troopers."

Anakin's eyes were slightly wider than usual and Ahsoka could feel the astonishment radiating from him through the force. But his voice was composed. "I don't get it. Why go to all that trouble?"

Ahsoka's thoughts were along the same lines. It didn't make any sense to her. If the Separatists were dealing with acids, why not just make an acid to kill the troopers on contact? Of course, Ahsoka was more than happy to allow them to take the hard way, but the Seppies weren't usually the type of people to waste credits if there was a simpler way.

Brianna answered that. "The poison wasn't supposed to take effect for a day or two and they wanted it to be contagious so-"

"-so the clones would spread it to others." Anakin finished. "Then not only would the men in the original attack be infected, but anyone they came in contact with afterwards would also be contaminated. Then the Separatists wouldn't have to make more of this...toxin. They would just have to attack one group and an entire squadrant could be wiped out."

Brianna nodded. "That's it."

Ahsoka, who had stayed silent through all this, suddenly understood. "So that's what all the liquids in the lab I found you in were for. You were trying to take certain elements from each chemical to make a specific one."

The scientist sighed. "Yes. It was extremely difficult to accomplish. More difficult than the Separatists wanted to believe."

Ahsoka wasn't the only one who caught the use of past tense. "What do you mean, 'was'?" Anakin spoke up. "You mean you actually finished this…"

"No, no," Brianna interrupted. "Not even close. I just meant I'm done now. I don't have to keep trying to help them kill."

That statement reminded Ahsoka of something that had occurred to her earlier. "If you didn't want to help them and you really did want to get away, why did you attack me when I first came in, and then fight with us all the way into our ship?"

"I-I'm really sorry about that. But the Separatists have cameras everywhere. I couldn't allow them to think that I willing went with you, so it had to be convincing. If they found out I helped you, they might hurt my sister."

"Where is your sister?"

"They took her to find more supplies. More poisons, actually."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you studied toxins."

"I do. But, the Separatists don't trust me not to try to escape. I've already tried to blow up the lab once. That's when I found out about the cameras. My sister isn't as strong a fighter as me. So they told me to tell her what I required, and then they took her. They didn't even say where they were going."

"So you don't have any ideas where they could have gone or where they are now."

Brianna shook her head.

Anakin gave a barely audible sigh. Then he turned to Ahsoka, who had to tear her eyes away from Brianna to look at his face. "Do you still have the datachip?"

"Yes," Ahsoka said slowly. She started to continue, but Anakin stopped her.

"Maybe something on it will give us some information on where they've gone."

"Only one way to find out."

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**Hope you liked it! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon but school's got me swamped, so a lot of my free time is, not so free. lol I'll do my best. Don't forget to review and tell me your thoughts! (It takes a lot to offend me, so don't worry lol) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven! I have no lame excuse for not getting this up. lol I've just been lazy. :-) Enjoy!**

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Ahsoka clicked the data chip into a slot in the computer in the war room of the _Resolute. _

Anakin stood behind her, beside her chair, and Brianna stood at a distance. Unlike the others however, she wasn't looking at the computer. She was staring out a window into space, lost in her own thoughts. Ahsoka silently wondered what those thoughts were. Brianna looked troubled.

Rex had come in with them too, and was standing on the other side of Ahsoka's chair.

Ahsoka turned back to the computer and started searching through the files for anything that looked potentially helpful. She felt the chair she was in shift a bit when Anakin put his hand on top of it and leaned forward to get a better look at the screen.

"Alright. Let's see what we managed to save," he commented.

A few minutes passed in silence, except for the clicking sounds of Ahsoka's fingers over the computer controls. She opened file after file without finding anything useful. And the more information she sifted through, the more irritated she got.

Many of the files were chemical lists, which merely confirmed what Brianna had already told them. What they already knew. The rest were reports from tactical droids, saying that security was tight and everything was all clear. Apparently, the files weren't organized in any way on the computer. They were just all thrown together.

Ahsoka, Anakin, and Rex all took turns searching through the mess, with little, if any, results. They weren't getting anywhere.

"Master Jedi?" Brianna spoke after short while of turning up nothing.

Both Anakin and Ahsoka turned around, even though Ahsoka knew the scientist was speaking to Anakin. Rex glanced back but for a moment but then turned back to the screen.

"Yes?" Anakin responded when Brianna didn't continue.

"May I speak with you?" she said in her gentle voice.

Anakin hesitantly gave a single nod. "Keep looking," he told Ahsoka.

"Right," she mumbled to herself. "We wouldn't want a security report to slip between our fingers. We might miss the report of how _we_ got in."

Rex chuckled under his breath.

Ahsoka heard Anakin and Brianna talking to each other across the room. She tried to listen, but she couldn't catch any of it, so she drew her attention back to what she was doing.

Finally, she and Rex found something actually valuable.

And it wasn't good.

"Master…"

"What?"

"Uhh, you may want to see this."

"What is it?"

Ahsoka didn't answer right away. "According to this, there's more to the weapon than just the toxin," she stated as he walked over.

Anakin hesitated for a moment before asking, "How much more?"

Ahsoka looked over the plans she had found a few more times before answering, just to be sure she was seeing it right. "They're making a special kind of bomb. It was supposed to be enhanced with the chemicals that Brianna and Atristan were working on, but it can still be....bad, without it."

Anakin signed, a strained sound. "What kind of bomb are we talking about?"

"Bombs. They're making more than one."

"What kind, Snips."

Ahsoka ran her hands over the controls trying to get more information, but there was an error. "I-I don't know. I can't get it to…" She trailed off, focusing on trying the get the data to come up on the screen. Then she realized what must have happened. "Ugh, I didn't have time to cut off the chip from the machine before I removed it, so some of the data isn't readable." Another pause. "But from what I see, the Separatists bought the idea from some inventor. It doesn't say who." She added before he could ask. "All I can tell from this is that it's extremely powerful."

"That's convenient," Anakin mutter to himself. "Where is it being built?"

Another paused ensued while Ahsoka read to herself. Rex, who had been studying the file on the screen, spoke. "That depends on which part you're talking about, Sir. There appears to be four different planets that are responsible for specific pieces. Geonosis, Alliga, Kalee, and Bestine IV."

"I don't understand why they would do that though. Why would they scatter it all around like that? Wouldn't it make it more difficult for them to complete?" Ahsoka asked.

"They probably did it to make it harder on us," her Master answered. "Making us travel across the galaxy is sure to buy them more time to complete the weapon."

Ahsoka signed.

The room filled with a strained silence. Everyone looked at each other.

"So what do we do?" Ahsoka eventually asked.

"We need to report to the Jedi Council," Anakin responded. "We're gonna need help with this." He turned to Brianna. "I think you should be present. You've been involved in it so they may want to speak with you."

She nodded.

Anakin then turned to Rex. "Rex, see if you can connect us with the temple."

He also nodded, and started for the door.

"Come on, Snips."

"Uh, actually Master. I was wondering if I could…sit this one out." Ahsoka said tentatively. Her shoulder had started to throb and she wanted to take care of it.

Her Master raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he said, suspicion leaking into his voice a bit.

Ahsoka was already wracking her brain for an excuse. Then something occurred to her. "I was going to prepare one of the command quarters for Brianna. She'll need a place to stay while she's here." There were five command quarters on the _Resolute._ They were rooms made for one person. Someone in command. Anakin had one, she had one, and the Admiral had one. All the rest of the quarters were for the clones. A bit larger, but they were made for at least two people, containing two or more bunks. Since they'd determined that Brianna wasn't with the Separatists, and they had two command quarters free, she could stay in one of them.

Anakin nodded at her statement, but said "That's a good idea, but we can have someone else do it. I'd prefer you were at the meeting. You were the only one who saw the lab."

"No I wasn't. Brianna worked in the lab," Ahsoka corrected as Anakin started to turn away. "She could probably tell you more than I ever could about it. Besides, if I'm not in the meeting, I can also search the files again and see if there's anything we missed. We never found out where the Separatists took Brianna's sister."

Anakin had look on his face that Ahsoka couldn't decipher. Maybe suspicious? Or amused. Or, maybe a mix of both, she couldn't really tell. Then he spoke. "Alright," he said simply. His tone didn't give away his thoughts at all. _He is so frustrating when he does that!_

Ahsoka managed to keep the irritated scowl off her face with a little effort. She waited for Anakin and Brianna to make their way out of the room before she straightened up in her chair and looked down at her shoulder. She'd had one of her lekku partially covering the cut, but it wasn't long enough to conceal it completely, so she'd tried to keep her shoulder turned away from them. Her Master hadn't said anything, so he must not have noticed it. _Well…_ she thought as she gazed at it. _It's not _awful_._

Ahsoka sighed, then climbed out of the chair, and made her way down to her quarters.

**

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Anakin's POV

Ahsoka was acting weird. _Even for her, _he thought wryly.

He walked quickly down the hall with Brianna, contemplating his Padawan's odd behavior. She hadn't been as….out there, was the only way he could think to describe it. She had been more reserved since they came back from the mission.

And why had she insisted on staying back from the meeting? She couldn't _still_ be mad at him, could she? No, that was ridiculous. Then what was it? He didn't entirely believe the excuse she'd given him.

He didn't have time to think about it, because they were at the control room. "What's the status, Rex?" Anakin said, upon entering the room.

"They're connecting us to the temple now. Just give it a minute."

Anakin turned and stood in front of the holoprojector.

A few moments later, the blue forms of Master Yoda and Master Windu appeared.

"Greetings Skywalker," Yoda said, after Anakin had bowed respectfully. "News, you have?"

"Hello Masters," Anakin responded. "Yes. We've destroyed the factory and collected a few plans. The building was actually a chemical lab the Separatists had built to create a toxin to enhance their weapon. But there is more to it. But before I tell you that..." Anakin paused and turned to Brianna, signaling for her to come forward and stand beside him, so the Council could see her in the hologram. "This is Brianna Sheii. She and her sister worked as scientists for the Separatists, but she's decided to tell us everything she knows."

"Where is your sister?" Windu questioned Brianna.

Brianna took a breath. "She was taken away by the Separatists to collect more supplies, Master Jedi. I've haven't seen her for a few days. I don't even know where they went or when they were supposed to be back."

Windu nodded. "We will do what we can to find her. What can you tell us about the Separatist weapon?"

"I can't tell you much beyond my own part, but my sister may know more. Atristain didn't want to help them any more than I did, but she wasn't as obvious about it, so they trust her more."

Windu spoke again. "We will do our best. Now, what kind of toxin were you told to make?"

"Before I tell you that, there's something I need to tell you about my sister. You must find her before it's too late." By the time she'd ended the sentence, Brianna's voice had turned pleading. "Please. You must find her."

**

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Ahsoka's POV

Ahsoka stood in front of the sink in the refresher, washing her hands before she tried to clean the cut. She could feel the liquid she'd fallen in on her arms as well, so she attempted to wet them too.

Unfortunately, the water splashed all over her front instead.

"Ugh!" she groaned. She started trying to dry herself off, only to notice light orange coloring come off onto the towel. She was covered in the orange chemical. _Forget it. _She tossed the towel onto the edge of the sink and walked in to another room.

Ahsoka shared a refresher with her Master. It was just off the clone's showers. She walked to the shower in the next room, turned on the water, and started stripping off her clothes. Then she stepped under the stream of water. The cut stung, but Ahsoka knew it'd be better after it was clean.

When she was finished rinsing the orange liquid off, Ahsoka shut off the water and looked over the textured glass wall, searching for a towel. She saw one hanging on a bar across the room. She reached her hand over the glass and pulled the large, white towel into her hand with the force.

After drying off, Ahsoka wrapped the towel around her, under her arms, and walked to the mirror. She leaned towards it, looking at the gash. It was still a little red, but it looked better. _I'll have to get some bacta from the Med bay._ She hated going there, so she would just get a little bit and take care of it herself. She quickly got dressed and walked out. She still had to prepare a room for Brianna.

She went to the Med bay first and got what she needed from the droid. She rubbed some of the bacta onto the cut and then set off to the command rooms.

As she was walking down the hall, she was stopped by a clone. "Commander, General Skywalker sent me to find you. He's on the bridge."

_Guess he's out of the meeting with the council. _She nodded. "Ok, thanks trooper."

He nodded once, then walked away.

Ahsoka switched directions and started back the way she came, except this time, towards the bridge.

When the doors slid open and she entered the room, she saw Anakin and Rex standing in front of the scanners. They turned to looked at her when she walked in.

"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked.

"Scanners picked up a Separatists ship coming out of hyperspace. Brianna says it's the one that her sister left on. They're back.

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**Thanks for reading! Tell me whatcha think! :-D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Helloooooo everyone. lol Chapter eight's up! I'm trying to be a good author and update sooner. lol, but I'm kinda picky about my writing. lol, Anyways... I love ya'll!.... Enjoy! **

"I-it's just a supply ship," Ahsoka said, a little astonished as she gazed at the ship's signal. When her master said a Separatist ship, she'd pictured a large cruiser. But this ship wasn't nearly that size. It was only a little larger than the Twilight. Maybe twice its size.

Anakin nodded. "This shouldn't be a big problem. We should be able to pull it in with a tractor beam when it comes in range." He took a couple steps forward and called down to one of the troopers. "Scan the ship for bio signs. Let's see what we'll be dealing with when we pull it in."

Ahsoka couldn't see the man from where she stood, but she heard him respond with a firm, "yes sir."

Ahsoka walked to stand next to her master and looked up at him. "So what're we supposed to do? Just tow the ship in, capture all the Seppies, and rescue Atristian?"

"Yup," he responded without turning to look at her.

"And if someone else is on board like….Dooku or Ventress?"

"Then we're in trouble," he said matter-of-factly.

Ahsoka pressed her lips together into a hard line and nodded. "Great. That's very encouraging, Master." She noticed his lips twitch out of the corner of her eye.

Ahsoka suddenly became aware of Brianna on the other side of the bridge. She decided she would go speak with her.

Brianna looked up as she saw Ahsoka approaching. "Hello young one," she said softly.

Normally, Ahsoka hated being called 'young one', 'youngling' or anything like that. But something about the why Brianna said it, made her not mind so much. Brianna said it in a way that it didn't seem as patronizing. Ahsoka smiled at the woman. "Hello. May I call you Brianna?"

The Echani smiled in return. "Of course. May I call you Ahsoka."

Ahsoka nodded.

There was a short pause before Ahsoka spoke up again. "You seem on edge."

Brianna looked away for a moment, before speaking again. "I'm worried about my sister."

Ahsoka could understand that. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

"It's not just about finding her. I'm worried about her health."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. "Her health?"

Brianna opened her mouth to explain, but before she could get the words out, a voice interrupted her.

"Sir! There's only one bio sign aboard the ship," one of the clones announced. "But there are about a dozen droid signals."

Ahsoka turned to look at her master.

Anakin nodded. "The bio sign should be Atristian. Pull it in." Then he waved his hand to Ahsoka. "Come on, Snips."

"Where're we going?" she said as he walked towards the door.

"To the hanger to greet them. Where else?" he said with a smile.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "What was I thinking?" Then she followed him, but stopped in the doorway. She glanced back to Brianna to say, "Don't worry. Atristian will be fine."

Brianna gave her a grateful smile before Ahsoka left the room.

As she followed Anakin down the hallway, Ahsoka looked once more down at the cut on her shoulder. It was already beginning to heal. It wasn't red or irritated anymore. _The chemical I fell in must have been some sort of mild acid. That's why it irritated and burned it._ Then she moved her head so the gash she partly covered by the end of one of her head tails.

By the time they got to the hanger, the ship was being pulled in.

Ahsoka and Anakin stood just inside the door, waiting for the ship to come to a stop. Then Anakin started towards it, Ahsoka following closely behind. They stopped again a short distance away, when the ship's door began to open.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ahsoka noticed Anakin's hand slide to the hilt of his lightsaber. Her hand, in response, subconsciously inched towards her own weapon.

Before the doors were even fully open, a pair assassin droids sprang out, cartwheeling around the two Jedi before taking aim with their blasters.

Instantly, the _snap hiss_ of two lightsabers echoed throughout the hanger and Anakin and Ahsoka leaped into action, blocking blaster shots and scattering them in all directions.

Ahsoka spun her lightsaber around her, flipping it to hold it backwards in her favorite Shein grip. She knew it annoyed her master when she used that method, but she often switched to it when she was under pressure. She was more used to fighting in that style than she was in the Djem So form, which Anakin used and was training her in. It was much more aggressive, while the Shein form was a more defensive style. But Ahsoka didn't care. And in this instance, it was working for her. Sort of. She deflected bolts back towards to droid, but it kept jumping out of the way.

"Uh, hold still!" she muttered. Then she saw an opening. She leaped forward to attack, twisting her hand around and spinning her lightsaber into a forward hold to make use of her master's preferred form.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Anakin begin to chase the other droid around the hanger. It was kind of funny looking from Ahsoka's perspective.

She then did a side flip over the droid and swung her lightsaber back at the droid, cutting its blaster in two.

However, the droid launched a kick out at her, which hit her square in the stomach.

Letting out a pained grunt, Ahsoka stumbled backwards and doubled over for a moment, trying to get her breath back. She looked up quickly, throwing her hand out and shoving the approaching droid back with the force. It wasn't a strong force push though, and drove the clanker back only a couple of feet.

Heart pounding in her ears, Ahsoka fought to keep from bending over again and tried to control her loud gasps. She had activated her lightsaber again and pulled it up in front of her, when suddenly she began to feel lightheaded. She drew in a breath and tried to steady herself.

Then she heard several slashing sounds. She turned her head around to see that there was only one droid left. The other lay in pieces at her master's feet.

Ahsoka shook her head to clear it and lunged out at the remaining droid. It danced out of the way and shot at her. She leaned back to blocked the first one, then rolled out of the way of the others. When she came up out of the roll, she stumbled, the dizzy feeling growing stronger after the spinning. She put her hand to her head and shook it again.

"Ahsoka?" her master's voice sounded. She turned to see Anakin attacking the droid. The droid turned away from Ahsoka to fight back.

As Ahsoka took a step forward to assist, the dizziness faded. _That was weird._ But Ahsoka didn't dwell on it too much and leaped out to attack the droid, slashing it in half from behind.

The droid split and fell out to the sides, the middle glowing red where her lightsaber had passed through.

Ahsoka let out a soft sigh of relief and deactivated her lightsaber, dropping it to her side.

Anakin began to hook his weapon back into place, but then decided to hold it in his hand instead. Then he looked up at Ahsoka. "Are you ok? You looked weird there for a second," he asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "Yeah I'm fine." She waved her hand dismissively. "I just got the breath knocked out of me."

Anakin nodded. "Oh." He looked at her for a moment more, then turned and started for the ship. He waved his hand at her. "Come on."

Ahsoka ran after him.

Anakin stepped into the ship and looked around. Then he started down one of the hallways.

Ahsoka spoke up. "Any idea where you're going?"

"No," he responded bluntly.

Ahsoka paused, expecting more. When he didn't continue, she did. "Well…do you have any idea where Brianna's sister is going to be?"

"No."

Ahsoka was about to make a sarcastic comment that would probably have gotten her a rather nasty look, when the sound of footsteps behind them reached her ears. She turned around, gripping her lightsaber, when suddenly Brianna came running down the hall.

"Brianna?" Ahsoka said. She looked at her master, who was looking at the scientist, obviously as confused as Ahsoka was.

"Yes. I want to help look for Atristian," Brianna said.

Anakin sighed. "Fine. But stick close. There are supposed to be more droids on here and there's no telling where they are."

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself." Brianna responded, walking past the two.

They walked through the ship, searching different areas. They found a few battle droids, and one tactical droid, which they assumed had been in charge of the run. But no Atristian.

Eventually, they came to the cargo bay.

Ahsoka could sense someone in the room. She glanced at her master, whose face told her that he did too.

"Atristian?" Brianna called softly.

They heard boxes and crates moving around.

Anakin and Ahsoka gripped their lightsabers.

Suddenly, a small Echani woman came out from behind tall stack of crates. "Brianna!"

"Atristian!" The two women rushed towards each other and embraced. "I was so worried!"

"I was too!" Atristian responded to her sister.

Ahsoka gazed at the two and marveled at how alike they looked. You could tell Brianna was older, but other than size and age, they could have been twins. Their features were nearly identical, although, Atristian's had a more youthful look about them.

Atristian turned and looked at the two Jedi with a somewhat worried look.

Brianna followed her gaze. "Oh, Atristian, this is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and this is his Padawan Ahsoka Tano. They're with the Republic. They've come to help us."

"Yes," Anakin spoke up. "We're going to stop the Separatist weapon and help you in any way we can."

Atristian smiled kindly at them. "Thank you. We very much appreciate it."

Ahsoka felt like she was missing something.

Brianna looked at her sister. "Are you feeling ok? Have you gotten any worse?"

Atristian shook her head. "Not too much. Though, it's not getting any better."

Now Ahsoka _knew _she was missing something. "What are you talking about? What hasn't gotten any worse?"

Brianna took a breath. "It's what I was going to tell you earlier, Ahsoka." She looked at Atristian before continuing. "My sister was poisoned back at the lab."

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**Thank ya'll for reading. (Haha, Oh my goodness, I sound like a redneck. lol love it.) :-DD Review review review! I love hearin yall's feedback so keep it coming and I'll work on getting my chapter's so yall's heads don't explode. ;-D**


	9. Chapter 9

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Alright sorry, i know this ones short but I couldn't help it. And i gotta make this fast so bye! Review!

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Ahsoka, Brianna, and Atristian all sat in the spare room the sisters were sharing.

Anakin had talked to the council, telling them they now had Atristian aboard their ship. The council told them to come back to Coruscant immediately.

And so, that was where they were headed.

Ahsoka was concerned when she'd found out Atristian had been poisoned. She hadn't been told the whole story yet, so she asked them to explain.

"It happened about three weeks ago," Brianna started. "I had just mixed a batch of toxins together and put it on a burner to heat. I was trying to achieve a certain reaction, but we had a progress report with Dooku. It wasn't supposed to take long so I left it on."

"Unfortunately, it did take long. Dooku wanted to have a little chat with Brianna. Something about him thinking her incorporative attitude wasn't helping our work. So I was sent back to work while she stayed and talked with Dooku," Atristian said, picking up the story. "So I went back and when I went in the lab, I smelled chemicals burning. I looked up to see the liquid boiling all over the place. I ran over to turn the burner off and save what I could of the concoction." She paused to take a breath, then continued. "I didn't realize until a few days later that I'd been infected by the fumes. That was when I started to feel the effects of the poison."

Ahsoka raised her eyebrows. "What are the effects?" she asked.

This time Brianna answered. Ahsoka wasn't surprised, since poisons were her area of expertise. Her voice picked up the tone of a scientist as she spoke. The kind of tenor that lay proof of her knowledge of the subject, without making her sound like a know-it-all. "Well, because she inhaled the fumes of the toxin instead of consuming to actual substance of it, it is very slow moving. And it's affecting her respiratory system first."

"So, your breathing," Ahsoka stated, making sure she was following.

Atristian nodded. "I'll get...attacks, for lack of a better word. They're similar to asthma attacks. They restrict my breathing."

Ahsoka didn't say anything for a moment, then she asked slowly, "Is it fatal?"

Brianna looked at her sister for a moment. Then when she spoke, her voice sounded slightly roughed. "We're not entirely sure. Though, I suspect...eventually, it may be."

Atristian seemed to be handling this fact a lot better than her sister was. Her voice was clearer, steadier, when she spoke up. "It's starting to spread. I get tired really easily. Sometimes I get sore and achy for no apparent reason." Then she kind of shrugged and sighed. "It's just beginning to affect all over now."

Ahsoka sighed. She had no clue what to say. She wanted to help but she had no idea what she could do. "Is there a cure?"

"That's what we're hoping the Republic can help us with," Brianna answered. "We're hoping that they can supply us with a place to work and supply's for testing."

Ahsoka nodded. "Well hopefully we can get you what you need when we get back to Coruscant."

Brianna smiled. "We appreciate it. Really."

Ahsoka nodded again, and then stood up to leave. "Well It's late. I should let you two get some rest. See you in the morning."

Both sisters nodded to Ahsoka, then told her thank you and good night as she walked out.

Ahsoka stood outside the door for a moment before deciding to walk down to the bridge and see if she could track down her master. She didn't really have any reason for wanting to find him, but, while she was tired from not having slept in about 24 hours, she didn't feel as though she could fall asleep. She slowly made her way down the hall.

To Ahsoka's ears, the ship seemed quieter than usual. The lateness of the hour really didn't have any bearing on the noise level. People were always up. However, Ahsoka could feel the tension of everyone on the ship in the force. The discoveries they'd made about the Separatists plans had obviously made it around. It was starting to rub off on her too and she started walking faster, wanting to have something to do.

She entered the bridge a few minutes later. She glanced around quickly, but didn't see Anakin.

However, she did see Rex. He looked up at her in time to catch her look. He nodded to her, not bothering to salute right now. He often didn't when they weren't talking about war business.

Ahsoka smiled at him and walked over. "Hey Rex."

"Hey kid."

"Wow. Now _that_ was enthusiastic."

Rex's broke into a small grin and he glanced sideways at her before looking back at the datapad he held in his hand.

Ahsoka smiled again before looking over to see what was on the datapad. "What're you working on?"

Rex kinda shrugged. "Nothing. Just looking over the reports for the mission."

"Oh," Ahsoka said. _That's…really boring._

Rex, as if her could hear her thoughts, chuckled and said, "sorry I can't entertain you right now, kid."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and said teasingly. "Rex, hate to break it to you but, you're never very entertaining."

Rex raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. "Oh? Then why is it you expect me to be every time you talk to me?"

"Because I think everyone should be entertaining."

"Well I wouldn't worry. You're entertaining enough for the both of us."

Ahsoka scowled playfully. "Ok, you're mean. Where's my master?"

"I think in his quarters," Rex answered. "If not, I don't know." Rex liked Ahsoka, but she could be a little…restless... when she had nothing to do. It was obvious in his tone that he was glad she'd found another form of entertainment.

Ahsoka picked on it too. "If not, _you _are going to help me find him," she warned.

Rex looked sideways at her again, knowing she'd trapped him. "War room."

Ahsoka smiled again. "Thank you," she said in tone Rex couldn't decipher. _Oh boy. Sorry, General. _He thought to himself. _Good luck._


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh. My. Gosh. 2:30 in the flipping morning. Like this or DIE! lol, ENJOY! 0:-)**

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Anakin stood in the war room, rubbing the back of his neck. He was tired, but wanted still wanted to be doing something effective. This was the worst part of missions in his mind. The traveling. There was nothing for them to do but wait. And all the while, the Separatists could be setting their plan into motion. Anakin sighed. At least they were on their way somewhere to do what they could. That helped. A little.

Anakin heard the doors behind him slide open. He turned around to see who was coming in, though he didn't have to. He could sense her presence in the force.

Ahsoka walked through the doors, but stood in the doorway while she looked around the room. When she saw him, she completely entered the room and slowly made her way over.

Anakin knew that face. She was just as impatient to be doing something as he was. "Hello master."

"Hey Snips."

There was a pause. Ahsoka crossed her arms and looked around the room while tapping her foot.

Anakin chuckled. "Ahsoka, just spit it out before you implode on yourself."

Ahsoka's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Oh no, I wouldn't _implode_."

She stopped, but from her tone of voice, Anakin knew she wasn't finished. "If I was going out, I'd at least take you with me."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Oh, I have no doubt."

Ahsoka let out a breath and flopped back into a chair, sitting her elbow on the arm and resting her head on her fist. She looked tired.

"Maybe you should go get some sleep," Anakin suggested. "You look like you could use some.

Ahsoka sat up straighter in the chair. "I'm not that tired," she stated, true to her character, though her eyes contradicted her words. "I'm just… bored, I guess. I just feel like we should be doing something."

"I know what you mean. The Separatists could be utilizing their new weapon right now and we're sitting on our ship."

"Well, yeah. But it's not just that, Master."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean Atristian and Brianna too."

"Ah. You feel like we're wasting time Atristian may not have."

Ahsoka sighed, looking down. He could tell she didn't like how he phrased it, making it so obvious that Atristian very well may not survive this. Ahsoka tended to make friends fast and easily. He knew that. She'd already come to care about Brianna and Atristian, even though she hadn't known them very long. They seemed to care for her too.

Anakin walked forward and knelt down in front of her so that he was at her eye level. "Ahsoka, I know you're worried about her, but you need to make sure that that concern is compassion, not attachment."

"I know," she responded.

Anakin could sense she didn't really what to talk about it and, as he didn't like talking about attachments either, he was more than happy to oblige. He stood back up and stepped back to lean against the holo projector table in the middle of the room. They stared at each other for a few minutes.

Ahsoka rested her head back on her fist. A few moments later, she started tapping her foot again. Anakin held back a laugh, but couldn't help a small smirk. The silence was getting to her, just as it always did.

"How long till we get to Coruscant?" she asked finally, breaking the quiet.

Anakin shrugged. "About 6, 7 hours at most."

Ahsoka sighed, irritated.

The corners of Anakin's lips curved upwards slightly. Then he snickered suddenly.

Ahsoka looked at him suspiciously. "What?"

He put on an innocent face. "What what?"

Ahsoka looked confused. "What?"

He couldn't help laughing at their exchange. "Nothing, but we killed about 10 seconds there. Now we only have about 6 hours, 59 minutes, and 50 seconds to go."

Ahsoka glared at Anakin through her eyebrows, then blinked, got up and started for the door. "You are utterly useless and I am going to bed."

Anakin laughed again. "Night Snips," he said sweetly.

She walked through the door. "Don't talk to me," he heard her say from out in the hallway.

He smiled. There was very little Anakin enjoyed more than poking fun at his Padawan. And the more irritated she got by it, the more entertaining it became.

**Ahsoka's POV**

_Stupid, annoying, immature, irritating, nerf herder._

Ahsoka was walking down the hallway towards her room. Anakin had been in a weird mood. _Probably lack of sleep_, she thought with a chuckle. _Combined with restlessness. _But she didn't have the patience to deal with him right now, regardless. If she stayed, she might have smacked him.

And she doubted _that _would go over well.

When Ahsoka reached her room, the doors slide open quietly. She walked into the room and sat down on the bed. She leaned over and took off her boots. Then, flipping off the light switch with the force, she lay back on her bed and pulled the sheet up over her shoulders. It was almost always cold on the ship, especially in the cabins. But Ahsoka liked it to be cold while she slept. At least, it was better than being hot.

Ahsoka rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, starting to relax. She realized just how tired she was. In fact, she was beginning to get a headache, which must have been from lack of sleep.

While Ahsoka waited for sleep to come, she thought about the Sheii sisters. It was clear that they were very close. She was worried about Atristian, for obvious reasons. But she was worried about Brianna too. What would happen to her if her sister didn't make it.

Ahsoka's headache got worse, as if fueled by her concern. But Ahsoka ignored it, sure that sleep would come soon to relieve her.

In some ways, Ahsoka was more worried about Brianna than Atristian. Yes, Atristian could die. That was awful and Ahsoka would do everything she could to make sure that didn't happen. But Ahsoka didn't view death as the worst possible fate. _There is no death. Only the Force._ Ahsoka remembered the line from the Jedi code. True, Atristian wasn't a Jedi. But Ahsoka believed that there had to be something for someone without force sensitivity too.

Ahsoka's head throbbed with pain. It felt as though it might crush from the pressure that squeezed her head tightly. She rolled onto her back, trying to find a more comfortable position, which eased the pain for a moment. Again, she tried to think about something else. If she could just get to sleep, she knew she'd feel better in the morning.

Anyway, Ahsoka was worried about Brianna because she could lose the one person she loved the most. Now, Ahsoka admitted that she didn't know much about having a sister. She couldn't remember her family very well, being only three when she was taken to the Temple. But she knew what it was like to have someone you cared about. Master Plo had been like a father to her ever since he'd first found her. Anakin also fit into that category, though occasionally, he could also become like an annoying older brother. She'd even become fond of Rex. However, because Jedi weren't allowed attachments, Ahsoka knew it wasn't the same. But even that being true, she understood it a little. And Brianna would have to live the rest of her life without her sister. She'd be crushed. Plus, from what Ahsoka saw when she talked with them earlier, Atristian was handling her being poisoned much better than her sister. She seemed stronger emotionally. So Ahsoka was concerned for them both, but her anxiety was not evenly distributed.

"Ah!" Ahsoka cried quietly. Her head felt like it was about to explode. She sat up in bed, a hand to her forehead. Unfortunately, she must have sat up too fast because she suddenly felt nauseous. She turned and leaned against the wall, breathing slowly. The refresher was fairly far away and she knew she's never make it there. And she didn't want to have to clean up vomit off her floor. Or worse, have her master come in and have to clean it up. She definitely didn't want to have _that _conversation. She kept breathing deeply until the queasiness passed. But the headache remained. In fact, it got worse as she tried to relax.

More gradually this time, Ahsoka sat back up and pulled the blankets off. She slowly scooted to the edge of the bed and, even more slowly, got to her feet. She put her hand back to her forehead. The pain was lessening as she moved. Maybe if she walked around for a little bit, it would go away all together.

Ahsoka walked to her door and slid it open. She snapped her eyes closed against the light that flooded into her face, burning her eyes for a moment and making her head pound harder. After her eyes had adjusted, she opened them again. Then she stepped into the hall.

She was glad that there was no one there. She didn't feel like talking to anyone. She decided go to the mess hall and get a drink. Then she'd come back. If her headache wasn't better, she would just have to deal with it.

Ahsoka made her way to the lift, trailing her hand against the wall, looking at the floor. When she got there, she slapped the button to open the doors and walked in.

A few minutes later, she walked into the mess hall. Again, she was glad to see very few people there. Only a few men scattered at different tables- a few eating, a few just talking with some others.

Ahsoka went over to the drink counter, picked up a glass, and quickly filled it with water. Her head didn't hurt as bad anymore. In fact, the headache was pretty much gone. She took a sip of water and started back to her room.

When she walked through her doors again, she noticed her boots sitting beside her bed. _Oh my gosh…I've officially become my master._ _I need sleep. _

She set her cup down beside her bed and lay down again. This time, she tried to thinking about nothing but sleep. She had just started to doze off when she felt her headache coming back. _Force! _She thought. _Not again. What in the galaxy is going on?_

**

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Lol, ok well actually. I'm really not all that tired. Like I said, I do my best work at night. Don't forget to review. Love hearin' y'alls thoughts! :-) By the way, I'm going away over the weekend and I'm not gonna be able to write at all so cut me a little slack and don't hate me too much if the next chapter takes more than a few days to get up. Til next chapter! :-)


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello readers! Well...here's chapter eleven! :-D Enjoy!**

Ahsoka opened her eyes for the umpteenth time in the last five hours. She'd dozed off a couple of times during the night, despite the headache. However, it would always wake her up again a few minutes later. She swore that she got _maybe_ an hour of sleep the whole night.

She slowly sat up, glancing over at the chronometer beside her bed. Assuming her master had been right about their arrival time, she had about another hour until they'd reached Coruscant, but she couldn't handle the headache any longer. It always went away when she started moving, which made no sense to her. Headache should go _away _when you laid down, not develop.

Ahsoka threw the sheet off her and onto the floor. She swung her legs to the floor, sitting there for a moment. She rubbed the back of her head as she waited for the headache to disappear. When she glanced up, Ahsoka noticed a small handle-shaped device on the other side of the room, next to the wall. She stood up, walked across the room to pick up her lightsaber, and stared at it a moment, trying to remember how it had gotten there. A small dent in the wall in front of her jogged her memory and she grimaced at the recollection. She recalled rolling on it in the middle of the night and, already irritated and in a bad mood because of her headache, she, like a half-crazed person, had gotten mad at the defenseless piece of metal. She had hurled it across the room with a vicious throw. She must have put a lot of force behind it to dent the metal wall like that. She felt ridiculous now, as she picked up her weapon and returned it to its proper position on her belt. She was glad that no one had been in her room to witness her stupid outburst.

Suddenly, her stomach growled. Ahsoka decided to go get something to eat, as it was better than staying in her room until they landed. She walked to the door and started to leave when she noticed something and abruptly whirled around and walked back to her bed. She sat back down and slid her feet into her boots. _No way I'm gonna pull another Master Skywalker, _she thought.

Ahsoka walked through the door and down the hallway. There were more men roaming through the halls now. She nodded to a few that greeted her as she headed to the mess hall. When she got there, she looked around. Then she paused for moment, because she felt a little dizzy. But the feeling soon passed. _I must be really hungry. _Ahsoka picked up a tray and got in the food line. It wasn't too long and within a few minutes, she had her food.

Ahsoka quickly scanned the room for a place to sit. "Commander!" she heard someone call.

She turned her head and saw Rex, Tec, and Fives sitting at a nearby table. Fives was waving at her. _How did I not see them when I walked in the room? _Ahsoka walked over to join them. She put her tray down beside Rex.

"Maybe you can help us resolve our debate, Commander," Tec said as she took a seat and started eating.

Ahsoka shrugged and was about to say sure when Rex put a fist up to his mouth, turned his head slightly in her direction, and whispered a warning. "Don't do it."

Ahsoka glanced sideways at him for short second, considering his words, then said cautiously. "What exactly is your debate about?"

Tec gave a mischievous grin. "We've been debating who would last longer against a Sith lord. And we figured since Jedi fight similar to-"

"No," Ahsoka interrupted, looking back down at her food. She scooped a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"I am _not _fighting you two."

Tec clicked his tongue, disappointed. "Now we'll never know."

Ahsoka shrugged again, taking another bite. She was exhausted and not in a very good mood. As she chewed her food, she thought it tasted a bit off. She looked around at the three clones who were eating the same food that she had. None of them seemed to notice it.

Ahsoka was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Rex chuckling. "Good choice," he stated.

"Well, personally, we thought you'd jump at the chance to have a little fun with us, Commander," Fives said, teasing.

Suddenly, Fives and Tec's trays lifted off the table and slammed into them, smearing the food that filled their plates into their faces and all down their fronts.

"Arrrgh," they both yelled as their trays fell down into their laps and then clattered to the floor.

Ahsoka, who'd hadn't even looked up from her food or stopped eating, said, "Ha ha. Fun," in a very monotone voice.

Rex started laughing.

A small smile came to Ahsoka's face as she glanced up at the two men sitting across the table, glaring at her.

"Errr. Ya know, sometimes that Jedi force trick is annoying," Tec mumbled under his breath as he started scooping food back onto his plate.

The glob of food flew back into his face.

"But so convenient," Ahsoka added.

Rex chuckled again, half amused and glad that he hadn't been part of Ahsoka's target practice.

Rex and Ahsoka ate for a few minutes in silence, watching the other two try to clean themselves off, occasionally tossing bits of food at each other.

Ahsoka picked up her glass and chugged the rest of her Jawa juice, which also tasted a little weird. Then she put it down beside her plate and stood up to leave, stacking everything onto her tray. "Well, I'm gonna go. Have fun with..." she held up her hand, palm out, waving it in circles at Fives and Tec. "...that." When she stood up to leave, she felt lightheaded. Black spots covered her vision until she couldn't see anything except the dark outlines and shapes. She blinked her eyes quickly, trying to clear her sight. It didn't seem to help, or have any effect at all.

"Commander?" Ahsoka couldn't tell who was speaking.

A few moments later, her vision cleared and she saw the three men staring at her. Fives and Tec looked confused. Rex's expression was a mix of confusion and concern, an expression she was familiar with; it was often mirrored on her master's face.

"Are you ok?" Rex asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, maybe a bit too quickly. "I'll see you guys later."

They nodded.

She turned away and walked to put her tray on a stack of others, and made her way out of the Mess. As soon as she was out in the hallway, she shook her head once, then kept walking back to her room. On the way, she blinked her eyes again and looked around her, while putting a hand to the side of her head. The spots didn't reappear. She slowly dropped her hand again.

On its way down, her hand hit a tender spot on her shoulder. Ahsoka looked down. The cut that had been on the shoulder had almost completely healed, except for a small red line that was almost invisible against her red skin. Ahsoka thought about the cut. The blade...the lab...the burning...

The chemical.

Ahsoka stopped mid-step, dead in her tracks. She nearly gasped aloud when it comprehended in her mind. Because of the burning, Ahsoka had assumed that the liquid had been some form of mild acid. But, before now, she hadn't thought about the fact that it hadn't burned any other place it had come in contact with, except the cut. Because of that, it hadn't occurred to her that it could have been something else. Something more deadly than a simple acid.

Ahsoka thought about everything that had happened since then. The dizziness. Her blocked vision. The foods and drink tasting strange. The awful headache that _only_ come about when she was trying to rest.

That was when Ahsoka realized that she'd been poisoned.

And it was getting worse.

She had to talk to Brianna. Immediately.

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**Hope y'all liked it! ~Please review~ :-) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. Hope you like this one. btw, if it doesn't flow incredibly well, I'm blaming it on the fact that it's almost two and I planned to bed in bed about two hours ago but I stayed up to put this us cuz I'm just that cool. lol, anyway's enjoy!**

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Ahsoka quickly made her way down the hall towards Brianna and Atristian's room. She was relatively calm, considering the situation. Although she couldn't help feeling some panic, she managed to keep in fairly under control. Maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe after a little patience, and probably a lot of suffering, it would eventually just wear off.

"Hey, Snips!"

_WOOOOOSH!_ Words cannot describe how fast Ahsoka's optimism flew away at the sound of that voice. Panic shot through her so quickly, her blood ran flat out cold. She managed to hide her jump and worked desperately to get her expression under control.

Eventually, she turned around to see her master coming down the hall towards her, looking at the ground as he walked.

"Good news," he said as he walked. "Looks like we'll be arriving 3 minutes and 47 seconds ahead of schedule." He chuckled at his own joke before finally looking up at her face. His own face turned into the infamous confused/concerned look as he took in her expression. "Are you alright?"

In that moment, Ahsoka's mind shifted into overdrive. Her mind raced ahead to their current mission. The Separatists had a strong weapon. They had three more places to go before the Separatists were stopped. Ahsoka knew that even if Anakin and she received back up, which she was sure that they would, they still had work to do. And a lot of it. Thousands of lives were depending on her master. And her master was depending on her. He wouldn't let her fight if he knew she was sick. And then who would watch his back? What if something happened to him while she wasn't there? Ok, she was being ridiculous; she knew he could take care of himself. But she couldn't just sit back when people were in danger. She thought back to the two days ago when she'd been in the council chambers, thankful that she could do her part to end the war. She had a job to do now. A part to play.

It was these thoughts that gave Ahsoka the control to smooth out her expression and answer with a convincing voice. "Nothing's wrong. What were you saying? We're almost at Coruscant?"

Anakin paused for a moment. He looked at her as though he was trying to decide if he believed her. She tried not to concentrate too much on her facial expression. Sometimes when she did that, she found it looked too forced. She simply stared at him, as if waiting for an answer.

"Yeah," her master replied after a few moments. "Uh, just wanted to let you know we'll be landing in a few minutes."

"Ok," she said simply.

Anakin nodded. He stood there for a moment more, then said. "Ok then," and walked away.

Once out of sight, Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't been very smooth by any stretch of the imagination, but at least her master didn't know what was going on. Yet.

* * *

"What are you talking about you think you've been poisoned?"

Thankfully, it was Brianna and not Anakin saying those words. When they'd arrived on Coruscant, Anakin and Ahsoka had taken the sisters straight to the lab the Republic had provided for them to work in.

Anakin had gone back to the temple a few minutes ago. He and Ahsoka had a meeting with the council. Ahsoka had told him that she wanted to stay back and help Brianna get everything set up. She promised him she would be back at the temple before the meeting.

"Ok. Just don't be late, Ahsoka," he'd said.

Ahsoka said she wouldn't and then he'd left. Ahsoka did help them set up, but then she told Brianna and Atristian what was really going on.

And that had brought them to this point.

"I mean, I think when you and I were fighting back at the Separatist lab, I was infected by some sort of orange chemical," Ahsoka explained.

"But how did it happen?" Atristian asked.

"Well. Long story short, while Brianna and I were fighting, my shoulder was cut and I fell into a puddle of liquid that had been knocked over. The liquid got in the cut. I didn't think anything about it until recently." Ahsoka told the two about have the poison had been affecting her.

After she finished with telling them about how she thought it was getting worse, Brianna clearly felt awful about something. Ahsoka could sense her disgust even before she spoke. "It definitely sounds like you've been infected with something. This all my fault." she exclaimed.

That threw off Ahsoka. That wasn't what she thought the scientist was thinking. "What?"

"If I hadn't fought with you and just told you I needed your help when you came, you wouldn't have gotten cut or poisoned!"

"Brianna, you told me why you did what you did. This is _not _your fault. It was an accident."

Brianna was obviously not convinced, but she didn't say anything so Ahsoka continued. "Look. I definitely don't want to pull you away from working on a cure for Atristian but-"

"I can work on both," Brianna interrupted.

Atristian, who'd been quiet for a while, spoke up. "I will absolutely help her with your-."

"No, that's not what I want," Ahsoka said quickly. "I was just wondering if, maybe you could just tell me what it is. I can find someone else who can try to find a cure." Actually, Ahsoka didn't have the faintest idea where to look for someone like that. But she couldn't take Brianna away from working on a antidote for her own sister.

"Well. I can at least do that." Brianna responded. "Just give me a moment." Then she turned and started searching around the lab for something.

Ahsoka took a breath at the same time that Atristian walked towards her. "Ahsoka. We will find a cure for you too," she promised.

Ahsoka shook her head. "No you're not. You can't worry about me."

"Well, I'm going to anyway. So we might as well be doing something," she insisted.

Ahsoka was about to respond when Brianna returned with a small syringe. Ahsoka fought back a grimace. She hated needles.

Brianna gently stretched out Ahsoka's arm and pressed the needle into the crook of it.

Ahsoka felt a slight pinch and looked down at the red fluid flowing through a thin tube and into a small vial. _Well. At least it's not glowing or anything._

Brianna pulled back and pushed a small cap onto the vial. "I'll run a few test on this and let you know the results."

"Ok, but I don't know how long we'll be staying on this planet. How long will the tests take?"

"I'm not familiar with the equipment here, but ideally, about 24 hours to get a firm diagnosis."

Ahsoka sighed.

Atristian looked at her sister with a look that said 'do something.'

Brianna bent over to look Ahsoka in the eye. "Don't worry. Wherever you are, we'll get in touch with you somehow. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who will put us in touch with your master once we've told them why."

Ahsoka's white eyemarks shot up. "No!" she said loudly, startling both herself and the sisters, as they had all been speaking in relatively soft tones. She cleared her throat and started again. "No," she said, a bit more calmly this time. "I want to keep this between us. No one can know, not even my master." _Especially not my master, _she wanted to add.

Both Brianna and Atristian looked confused and Atristian's eyebrows nit together. "Why?" Atristian asked. "I was under the impression that you and your master were very close. Even for a Jedi Master and Padawan."

"Well, we are. I mean, I don't know about the especially part but…" Ahsoka didn't know how to explain it. "Look. Master Skywalker and I are close and I do trust him. But this is just something he can't know right now."

They reluctantly agreed not to let anyone else know. "And don't worry," Brianna continued. "We will make contact somehow without giving anything away."

Ahsoka nodded. Then cast her eyes down. She caught sight on the chronometer on Atristian's wrist. "Oh force! I'm gonna be late for the meeting! Anakin's gonna kill me!" She looked up wide-eyed at the two women. "Thank you for everything you're doing for, but I gotta run."

They nodded. Then Atristian moved closer to put her arms around Ahsoka. "Be careful out there," she whispered. "Please."

Ahsoka hugged her back. "As careful as I can in a war zone," she said with a halfhearted laugh. It had suddenly hit her that this may be the last time she and Atristian see each other. Even if Atristian survived her illness, Ahsoka might die from her own. And vice versa.

They slowly pulled back and Brianna gave Ahsoka a quick hug as well, also asking her to be careful.

Then Ahsoka rushed out of the lab, headed for the Jedi temple.

* * *

**Atristian's POV**

"I hope she'll be ok." Atristian said, still watching the door that the young teenage Padawan had just dart through. There was something about Ahsoka that made her feel very comfortable around the small Togruta. Atristian didn't have much contact with the Jedi, but Ahsoka was one that she liked. Everything Ahsoka did and said made her seemed as though she was being very real and honest. Atristian couldn't describe it. She just liked the girl.

"I do too," her sister answered. Brianna seemed to be thinking about something.

"I know that face, Bri," Atristian said. "What are you thinking about?"

"Why wouldn't a young Padawan want her own master to know that she could be dying from a poison?" she blurted out.

Atristian shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she just doesn't want him to worry."

Brianna nodded. "I suppose that _could_ be it. But you would think she would want someone to know. She didn't even seem scared at all. A girl that age should be horrified that something like this had happened. Not wanting to hide it."

"She's a Jedi. She's a commander in a war, leading of dozens of grown men into battle. I'm sure she's had near death experiences before. She's probably come to terms with it."

Brianna nodded. "You know, you don't seem scared either, 'Trist," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Atristian walked over and wrapped her arms around Brianna's shoulders, putting her chin on her sister's shoulder. "I've come to terms with it too."

Brianna's eyes narrowed at her. "You are a liar."

Atristian sighed. That was true. She hadn't fully come to terms with it. But Atristian had always viewed herself as the more emotionally stable of the two. She refused to let that slide now, when it was most important. That was when Atristian realized why she liked Ahsoka.

Ahsoka was a lot like the both of them. She was good a fighter as Brianna. Probably better. And she was as tough as Atristian emotionally. And most of all.

Ahsoka didn't seem to be afraid of death.

Atristian didn't want to be either. She wanted to be like Ahsoka.

* * *

**There, so you get a little insight on Atristian's thoughts. That's proabably just a one time thing, but I wanted to get something more of her in here. Ok, so review and let me know your thoughts on everything!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys. Despite the little bit of a wait, I actually am moving faster with my writing. lol but there's no telling how long it'll last. lol, anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! **

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"You're late!" Anakin yelled as Ahsoka came running down the hallway.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry, I lost track of time!" Ahsoka said, panting slightly. She'd had another dizzy spell on her way and had to stop. It seemed to come on even stronger when her blood was pumping hard.

"Oh, go easy on her, Anakin," a familiar voice chided calmly. "You aren't exactly Mr. Punctuality yourself."

Ahsoka looked up to the owner of the voice.

Master Obi-wan Kenobi stepped out from the council doors. "Hello Ahsoka."

"Master Kenobi."Ahsoka said, smiling. She was glad to see him here. She stressing out a bit because of everything happening and Obi-wan always had a very calming presence. Because of the war, she hadn't see him in a while. "What're you doing here?"

"I believe I am to assist you in thwarting the Separatists' plans."

Ahsoka gave another small smile. Obi-wan was going to be their back up! It would be good to have a mission with him again. _Well, at least, it would_ _be if I felt like having a mission at all._ "Well, it's nice to see you again."

"Thank you. And now that _you_ are here, we probably shouldn't keep the council waiting any longer," he stated. Then he turned for the door.

Anakin looked down at her raising an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his face.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he was just making fun of her because Master Obi-wan had called her out slightly on being late. But it was still a little annoying. Especially considering how often he himself was called out by his old master.

Ahsoka followed Anakin and Obi-wan into the council chambers, where Master Yoda and Master Windu, among a few others, were waiting.

"You're late," Master Windu said sternly.

"My apologies, Masters," Anakin answered. "We…lost track of time."

Ahsoka looked up at him, questioningly. _We?_ But he wasn't looking at her at all.

"Well perhaps you should pay more attention. This is too important to be waiting so long for you to arrive," Windu rebuked.

Ahsoka cut in on her Master's behalf. She knew she wasn't supposed to speak unless spoken to in a council meeting, but she felt bad that Anakin was getting the blame. "It was my fault, Masters," she started softly, trying not to sound insolent. She could feel Anakin's warning stare on the side of her face, but she ignored it. "I was helping Brianna and Atristian in setting up the lab, and we…" Ahsoka stopped herself from saying they started talking about something important. That would have gotten the question of what it was that was so important that it made her late for the meeting, which was a road she didn't want to go down. "….it…" she struggled for an excuse. "…took more time than I thought it would."

Again, she felt Anakin's eyes on her, this time holding a suspicious look. She didn't meet his gaze.

Thankfully, Master Yoda cut in. "Discuss this now, we cannot. Hear the plan, you must."

They all nodded.

"Master Kenobi, we want you to go to Kalee and destroy the factory there," Windu started. "Anakin, you and your Padawan are to go to Alliga and take care of the building there."

"What about the one on Bestine IV," Obi-wan inquired. Apparently, he'd already been briefed.

"All three of you will regroup to take that out. From what we've learned of it, it's standing above the waters on a huge suspended platform."

"Like the cloning facilities on Kamino?" Anakin asked.

"Exactly."

Ahsoka had heard about the cloning facilities, even though she'd never seen them for herself. They were supposed to be positioned on large platforms hovering over the waters of the planet. She hoped that Bestine IV wasn't stormy, as she read Kamino was supposed to be.

"When do we leave?" Anakin asked.

Master Yoda answered. "Require rest, your troops do, young Skywalker. Stay here for the night, they will, and depart tomorrow, early in the morning, you will."

Anakin and Obi-wan nodded in acknowledgment.

"You are dismissed, then," Windu stated.

"May the force be with you," Yoda declared, as the bowed respectfully.

Ahsoka turned and walked from the room, the other two following closely behind.

Out in the hall, Obi-wan turned to Ahsoka and Anakin. "You two go get some rest. You look like you need it. I'll go make sure everything is prepared for our ships' departures tomorrow."

They nodded, and he walked off.

Ahsoka stood there for a moment, debating on what to do. She glanced up at her master, who was looking down at her with one eyebrow raised.

"You know, I didn't go to bed last night, but you look even worse than I do," Anakin said. "Didn't you sleep at all after you left me?"

Ahsoka shrugged. She really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. She _was _tired. So tired. But she didn't think she'd be able to stand another session of tossing and turning with an awful headache. And she knew the weak walls of she and her master's shared room probably wouldn't survive as cleanly as the thick metal walls of the _Resolute_ if they got pegged with her lightsaber.

Ahsoka suddenly realized her master was waiting for an answer. "I kind of...tossed and turned mostly. I just couldn't get to sleep." She decided that was a reasonably safe answer.

Anakin gave her a really weird look. One she didn't really understand. It switched from worried to confused to...almost scared, then back to slightly concerned again in about 3 seconds. "Why couldn't you get to sleep?"

Ahsoka was so thrown off by Anakin's expression that she hadn't been able to see the most obvious follow up question. Therefore, she didn't have an excuse ready. "I don't know," she blurted out, without much thought. She thought she heard a little bit of confusion in her voice, although she hadn't meant for it to come out that way. It made her words sound more like a question seeking approval than a statement.

Anakin nodded slowly, although she sensed that he wasn't satisfied. But he didn't press the matter. "Well. Why don't you go back to our room and get some sleep now. Maybe being able to relax more off-ship will help," he said, touching her shoulder and giving it a gentle push forward.

"What about you?" she asked as she turned her shoulder in the direction he'd pushed it. He was making it pretty obvious that he wasn't going to follow right away.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat," he said casually.

Ahsoka just nodded. Then she turned and started walking down the hall, making her way to the rooms. Ahsoka didn't really care all that much where he was going. Anakin always seemed to make himself scarce when they were on Coruscant. She figured he just went to see friends that he didn't get to see while they were off at war. She couldn't blame him. If she had any good friends still around the temple, she'd probably go see them too. Unfortunately, she'd lost contact with many of her old friends. Some hadn't wanted anything to do with her when she became a Padawan so much earlier than they. Only a few had stayed and associated with her.

Tom Norton was one such friend. They'd been best friends since she came to the temple. Tom was a year older than she was. He was a human, with brown hair and eyes. They would spar with each other all the time, and were evenly matched. Secretly, Ahsoka thought she might have developed a small crush on him, despite his being a different kind of race. Ahsoka tried to remember what had happened to him. She knew he'd become a Padawan shortly after her, a matter of weeks in fact, but she couldn't recall who became his master. She supposed he went off fighting in the war, the same as her. But she hadn't spoken to him since becoming Anakin's Padawan, so she couldn't really know for a fact. She hoped to see him again one day.

Ahsoka walked to the door of her room, swiping a small security chip in front of a pad beside the door. The lock released and the door slide open. Ahsoka walked through.

Actually, the room wasn't just hers. She and Anakin shared a room in the temple. She stood inside a small room, which led onto another room containing their beds. Ahsoka walked through the room and pulled back the curtain hiding her bed.

The bed was built into the wall, about three feet or so off the ground. Sort of like a large cubby. Though it didn't look it, it was incredibly comfortable. The fact that it was built into the wall, and had a curtain that could close it off from the rest of the room made it pretty cozy in her opinion.

It especially looked so now.

However, Ahsoka knew what would happen not ten minutes after she lay down on it. Her head would start pounding and grow increasingly worse the more she tried to ignore it. Then, when she moved to get some relief, she would feel nauseous, wake up completely, and the whole thing would start all over again. Ugh!

Maybe she could go get some sort of sleep aid or painkiller. She'd never tried it and she hated even the thought of relying on something else to go to sleep. But she was desperate. The healers probably had something she could use. Ahsoka turned and exited the room.

* * *

**Anakin's Pov**

Anakin sat in a speeder, zooming across the city. Although he wanted to stop the Separatists as much as anyone else did, he was thrilled to have some time on Coruscant. It meant he could go see his wife.

As he traveled, he let his instincts guide him through the traffic, allowing his mind to wander.

Ahsoka had looked so tired. Like she hadn't slept in days. But she said that she'd gone to bed while they were on the _Resolute. _She had to get some sleep then, even if she had tossed and turned as she said she did. When she'd told him she couldn't get to sleep, he'd panicked slightly. For a moment, he was worried she might have been troubled by dreams as well. But be convinced himself that that wasn't it. He knew it was something else.

This, however, brought him to thinking of his own dream. This couldn't be a part of it. She must just be having trouble shutting her mind off. At least he knew she was getting some rest now. She looked too tired to do anything else.

Anakin also thought about her being late for the meeting and her reason for it. It couldn't have possibly taken _that _long for them to set up the lab. From what Anakin had seen, almost everything in there was already in place and ready for use. There wasn't that much to do. He knew that they might have simply gotten to talking about something, but if that was the case, why hadn't Ahsoka just said so. She sure seemed to be stumbling over herself a lot while telling the council why she was late. Maybe she had stopped somewhere else on the way back. Or maybe she'd been stopped by someone she knew. But again, had that been the case, why didn't she say so?

The more Anakin dwelled on this, the more irritated he got. Nothing seemed to make sense. Another strange thing that he'd forgotten about until this moment was earlier that day, when he'd caught up to his Padawan in the hall to tell her they'd be landing soon. She'd been upset, for some reason unknown to him. He had felt alarm rolling off her through the force. But when he questioned her, she seemed to snap out of it. She was completely calm and composed. What was going through her mind _then_?

Suddenly a horn sounded from somewhere close by, then faded away disturbingly fast. Anakin snapped out of his reverie. He was flying at lightening speeds, far beyond the rate he was supposed to be traveling. He immediately slowed down and, after getting his bearings on where he was, swerved to pull in front of Padme's apartment.

Because he knew Ahsoka was safe back at the temple, Anakin decided not to worry about it right now. He quickly leaped out, anxious to see Padme'. He went up and rapped on the door. Right after he did so, he silently prayed that no one was there visiting her. He didn't feel like trying to make up an excuse as to why a Jedi Knight was coming to see a Senator from Naboo.

Luckily, he didn't have to worry. His knock was answered by C3PO, the protocol droid he'd given Padme'.

"Hello, may I help you, si- Oh! Master An-" the droid began, but Anakin cut him off.

"Shh! Hey 3PO. Is anyone here?" he whispered, in case there was.

"Oh. No, Master Ani. Mistress Padme' is here alone. I don't believe sh-" Again, the droid was interrupted. This time by Padme', who came to the doorway on the other side of the room when she heard him say Ani.

"Anakin?"

Anakin hurried into the room at the same time as Padme' rushed towards him. They met in the middle when she leaped into his arms. As he caught her and held her tightly, they kissed.

When they broke apart, she looked up at his face. "I didn't know you were coming back," she stated, though she was clearly happy he had. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Anakin stared at his beautiful wife's beaming face, and couldn't help smiling too. "I didn't know I'd be here for any length of time. In fact, I'm only here for the night, but I figured I could still come see you."

She hugged him tight. "I'm glad you did."

He chuckled. "So. Would I be a terrible imposition if I stayed here tonight?" he asked in a teasing tone of voice.

She pretended to think for a moment and pulled back some. "Well, I don't know. I mean, my husband sometimes comes back from war unexpectedly. I hate to see you run through with a lightsaber." She chuckled. "I'm not an expert on the subject, but I don't believe it would be a pleasant way to go. He's kind of the, 'act first, ask questions later' type of man."

He stared at her, raising an eyebrow for a moment before melting into a smiling. "I bet I could take him."

She laughed. "Well if you're willing to take the chance..." she trailed off as Anakin began leading her away, out of the room.

"I am," he said with an impish grin. "I'm kind of a risk taker."

* * *

**Ok! hope you liked it! I'll work on getting the next next chapter up as soon as possible! I know you guys are waiting so I'll try to move fast! Don't forget to review! It reminds me of how many people are waiting! lol Plus lol, a lot of them entertain me. :-)))**


	14. Chapter 14

**HEY! Told y'all I was moving faster. lol, Aren't ya proud of me? lol that's ok, I'm fairly proud of myself for moving this fast so you don't have to be. :-D  
Oh yeah, haven't done this in a while so... disclaimer: Don't own star wars...no one would believe me even if I claimed to anyway...but I don't claim to so it's a moot point. lol anyway. Enjoy!  
Oh wait, one more thing, I'm assuming y'all are smart enough to figure this out, but the first part is from Padme's Pov. I've never tried her before. Or Plo Koon's ;-) lol so let me know what y'all think.**

* * *

Padme' awoke later that night when she felt the bed bouncing and heard someone talking aloud.

"No. Watch out." More indistinct mumblings. "Don't."

Padme' opened her eyes to see Anakin breathing heavily and rolling around, mumbling in his sleep. "No!" he said again, his voice rising. "It can't…"

"Anakin," she whispered. She didn't really want to wake him up. She knew he often went a long time without sleeping and she didn't want to deprive him of this. She knew that would only cause him nearly kill himself trying to keep going, but she was a little worried.

She was even more worried when he abruptly starting yelling, caught up in whatever nightmare was troubling him. She couldn't understand what he was saying, but it was obvious he was upset.

"Anakin!" she said, louder this time. "Wake up!" She touched and shook his arm, trying to calm and wake him at the same time.

At first, he wouldn't wake up. "Anakin!" she yelled. "It's just a dream! _Wake up! _

Finally, he jerked awake, gasping loudly. He turned his eyes and stared at Padme', who was now sitting up and leaning over him. He blinked, and after a moment, comprehension started coming over his face and his panicked expression gradually faded. Slowly, he sat up, bringing up one of his knees and rested his elbow on it, running his head through his wavy brown hair. He drew in deep breaths.

When she thought he'd calmed down some, Padme' spoke. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He nodded, but refused to meet her gaze. He had his head resting against his arm, his hand at the base of his head where it had stopped. He closed his unfocused eyes.

Padme' gently place a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Anakin opened his eyes and glanced in her direction, but still didn't meet her eyes. She knew he'd had another nightmare. The last time he'd acted like this was before they had married, when he'd dreamed about his mother. He'd insisted on going to find her. That hadn't ended well.

She paused for a moment before asking gently, "what was it about?"

Now he looked at her. He didn't answer for moment. Then he said, "Ahsoka."

She turned her body towards him, showing him he had her full attention. "Tell me."

Anakin told her everything that was going on, starting with his first dream and leading up to the current point.

Padme' paused, thinking for a moment before responding. "And your dream just now was like the one you had a couple days ago?"

"Sort of," Anakin told her. Then he seemed to ponder that. "The actual dream was pretty much the same, but the feeling was different. It seems more urgent now. In fact, I _still _have the feeling that something is wrong."

"Why haven't you told Ahsoka about this?" Padme' asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

"I just...didn't want her to worry, I guess." He sat still for a minute. Then he pulled off the covers and slid out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Padme' asked as picked up his pants off the floor and began to slide them on.

"To the Temple. Ahsoka's supposed to be there. I want to be sure she'd ok." He looked around for his robes and boots.

Padme' leaned over the side of the bed and picked up the rest of his clothes. She turned and tossed them to him.

As he caught them, he looked apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, Padme'. I just-"

She waved her hand at him. "It's ok, Ani. I want to know she's ok too. I understand." She glanced out the window. "It'll be sunrise in a few hours anyway. You should get going."

He smiled softly and started to pull on the rest of his clothes. When he was completely dressed, Anakin walked around to Padme's side on the bed and got on his knees beside it. "I love you," he said tenderly. Then he leaned in and kissed her.

Padme' pulled back after a few moments and Anakin put his forehead against hers. "I love you too," she replied. "Be careful."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I will." Then he jumped up and ran swiftly out of the room, in a hurry to get back to the temple.

* * *

**Plo Koon's Pov**

Plo Koon walked down the hallway of the temple, his mind dwelling on the conversation he'd had with Ahsoka earlier that day. He played it over again in his mind…

…He was walking down the hall when he saw Ahsoka coming down the hall towards him. She was looking at the ground and didn't seem to notice him. "Hello Ahsoka," he greeted in his deep voice.

Ahsoka's head came up and her face broke into a tired, but genuinely pleased smile. "Master Plo!" she cried out, excited. She came up to him and gave him a hug.

He returned it, wholeheartedly.

When they pulled apart, he really got a look at her. And what he saw startled him somewhat.

Ahsoka looked totally and completely wiped out. Her eyes were bleary and glazed. Her face looked worn, despite the smile on her face. He'd never seen her so tired.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. "You look tired."

She smiled again and answered him. "I am a little tired. But I'm ok."

The Kel Dorian raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm."

Ahsoka's white eyemarks raised in expectation.

Though his mask prevented her from seeing it, he knew she'd be able to sense it, so Plo smiled at Ahsoka. "So what's got you so tired, Little 'Soka?"

"You haven't heard?" she said, surprised.

"If you are referring to the Separatist's plan, yes I have. I just wasn't filled in on your part in it."

Ahsoka told him what had happened. However, she paused in a few places, causing him to suspect that she may have been leaving something out.

She ended by saying how they were staying here for the night and leaving in the morning. "Master Yoda thought that the troops could use a rest before heading out again."

"Wise of him," Master Plo commented. "I don't believe it's only the troops that could use the break," he said, laying a hand on the young teenager's shoulder.

"Well, I'll be fine after tonight," she told him. Then she mumbled something that sounded like, "If I'm lucky."

He was about to address the statement when she abruptly turned to continue down the hall. "I'd better get going, Master Plo. It was wonderful seeing you again, and I'll see you when this crisis is over."

He nodded to her as she started backing away down the hall. But right after she turned around and started walking forward, she stumbled over her own two feet. She righted herself, though not very quickly and most certainly not very smoothly, and disappeared around the corner.

It didn't take a genius to figure out something was up. Only someone that knew Ahsoka...

...Master Plo drew his mind back to the present where he heard footsteps approaching.

Anakin came walking determinedly down the hall. _Just the person I wanted to see._

"Skywalker," Plo called out.

The young Jedi Knight looked up at him.

"May I have a word with you?"

Anakin's eye glanced to look away down the hall for a moment, but nodded. "Of course, Master Plo," he said, walking up to the Kel Dorian.

"I spoke with Ahsoka earlier today and something bothered me. She looked so exhausted and was stumbling over herself. I was wondering if there was anything wrong."

Anakin sighed. "I am too, Master Plo. She's been acting very strangely lately. She said she hadn't slept well the other night. I assumed that it was just because of the stress we've all been under."

Plo nodded thoughtfully, then cocked his head to the side in a skeptical motion. "I wouldn't be too sure of that, Skywalker. Ahsoka's never been one to allow stress to affect her so drastically."

Now it was Anakin's turn to nod.

Plo continued. "I just wanted to suggest that you keep an eye on her."

"Believe me, I am," Anakin said firmly. "I am."

* * *

**Anakin's Pov**

A few minutes after his conversation with Plo Koon, Anakin was stepping through the doorway of his and Ahsoka's shared space. He could sense her presence in the room and walked into the back room.

The curtain was completely drawn on her bed, but that wasn't unusual. She always slept with it that way. Anakin quietly stepped over to her cot and pulled back the curtain a bit to peek behind it.

Ahsoka was lying on her side, facing him. Even though she was sleeping, her face didn't look relaxed. Deep wrinkles lined her forehead and her white eyemarks were furrowed.

"Ahsoka?" he said questioningly. Was something wrong?

She didn't respond. She did, however, roll over so she was no longer facing him.

He silently closed the curtain. He still felt the slight disturbance around Ahsoka through the force. Something just felt off.

Anakin quickly changed out of his Jedi clothes and into a loose fitting tunic and pants. Glancing once more towards Ahsoka's bed, he pulled back the half-open curtain of his own cot and climb in.

* * *

**Ahsoka's Pov**

Ahsoka opened her eyes, awaking from the single worst night of her life. Yesterday, before she went to bed, she had taken something to help her sleep. By the time she'd changed and brushed her teeth, she had already been able to feel it working. She had laid down in bed and closed her eyes, quickly dropping off to sleep. However, a few minutes later, she woke up again, with a headache. But the sleep aid kept her enough asleep that she couldn't get up to get relief. Occasionally, she could make herself turn or roll, but it wasn't enough to help very much. And so she'd spent the whole night drifting in and out of consciousness, all the while aware of her head throbbing so badly, she'd wondered if it might feel _better_ if it exploded.

Ahsoka pulled herself up and rubbed her temples. Then she pulled the curtain back and swung her legs to the ground.

She looked across the room and saw her master pulling his boots on. His hair was wet, so he'd obviously showered already. How long had he been up? How had she not heard him?

Anakin looked up at her in that moment. "Morning Snips. Sleep well?"

Ahsoka thought she heard an undercurrent to his tone, but couldn't begin to imagine what it meant. She recalled her conversation with Master Plo last night. Had he suspected something and spoken to Anakin? She heard herself respond to her master's question. "Uh, yeah. Fine." Even to her own ears, she sounded stupid. She looked over at the window. It was just after , Ahsoka loved mornings. They always felt fresh to her. The start of a new day. But right now, the sun hurt her eyes and her head felt like a rock.

Anakin was talking again. "Really," he stated in a disbelieving tone. "Because when I came in last night, you didn't look like you were very comfortable."

Ahsoka shrugged and glanced around the room. "What time is it?" she asked, anxious to change the subject.

"You need to get dressed," he told her, putting his foot back on the ground, now with both boots on. "We have to leave in a few minutes."

Since they didn't have to be ready for anything at the temple, Ahsoka didn't sleep in her day clothes. She was wearing a comfortable V-neck gym top and a pair of loose fitting shorts. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"You seemed tired yesterday. I figured you could use all the sleep could get." He looked closely at her. "In fact, you still look tired. Are you sure you're ok, Ahsoka?"

Anakin looked and sounded seriously concerned. Ahsoka knew she needed to really convince him that she was ok. "Master," she said this with a slight smile on her face, as if she found it funny that he was so concerned. "I'm fine. Really. There's just been so much going on, I wake up sometimes during the night."

Anakin stared at her. "Ok," he said slowly. "I believe you."

Ahsoka broke a smile. "Good."

Anakin gave a small smile. Then he leaned towards her and said, "Dress. We gotta move."

"I'm going, I'm going," she said as went across the room and pulled fresh clothes out of a dresser. Then she went to the bathroom to change.

As she was changing, however, she got dizzy again. But this time, spasms of pain rocketed through her abdomen. It felt like someone was grabbing it from the inside and twisting. She doubled over and bit her lip to keep from crying out. Luckily, it only lasted a minute or two. She gasped quietly, trying to get her breath back and slowly stood up straight again. _That was new. _

There was a knock on the door. "Ahsoka!" Anakin's voice sounded. "We have to go!"

"I'm coming!" she called back, hoping she didn't sound breathless. She hurried to finish changing, then rushed out of the bathroom towards the door, flinging her night clothes across the room towards the dresser.

As she stood in the doorway, she turned around and pulled her lightsaber into her hand with the force. "Waiting on you now, Master," she said as she hooked it to her belt.

Anakin rolled his eyes and dashed after her to their waiting ship.

* * *

**Lol, yeah. So I know this chapter kind skipped around point of views' a lot so sorry about that. Anyway, Review! for the same reasons as I said in the previous chapter. And if you haven't read the previous chapter...well this chapter made no sense to you so sorry bout your luck. lol :-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I am so so _SO _sorry that I haven't updated. I really was going along fine but then everything I've got going on just kinda hit at once. lol but I'm paying more attention to it now. but...ok I'll just stop talking and tell you at the end lol. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Uh!" _Ok, this plan seemed a lot better before I attempted it. _

Right now, Ahsoka was standing in the hanger of the _Resolute_. She was pushing a crate up onto a pile of other crates above her head when she got dizzy and her arms started going weak. The 25-pound container suddenly felt like it doubled in weight. "Uh, Rex!" she yelled out as the box began to fall back towards her.

Rex looked over at her, then quickly set down his own load and hurried over to her. He helped her force the crate up and onto the top of the stack.

Ahsoka dropped her arms and let out a breath. "Thanks."

Rex nodded. "What happened?" he asked her.

"Oh, it just slipped," she said convincingly. Then she chuckled. "Smooth, right?"

Rex chuckled at the girl. "Very graceful. Words cannot express how relieved I am to know that a teenager who can't even keep her grip on a box is watching my back in a battle."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You know I've gotcha covered when it counts."

"Right," he said jokingly, and then turned back to work.

In her attempt to avoid the argument that was sure to come if she and Anakin tried to come up with a plan for destroying the factory on Alliga, Ahsoka had come to help Rex and some other clones prepare the Twilight. They'd been moving some stacks of crates that some wise guy had come to the conclusion would be well placed directly around the Twilight.

By now, they'd moved just about all of them. A couple of clones had gone aboard a little while ago to check the actual ship.

Ahsoka leaned back against some cargo containers, debating on whether to go aboard the Twilight and feel useless there, or go back to the bridge and risk a confrontation with her master that would most likely end in an argument. They'd been on good terms ever since they'd come on board, but that was mostly because Ahsoka hadn't hung around the bridge.

She wasn't sure if Anakin actually believed her when she said she was just tired, or if he'd just said he did because they were running late. If it was the latter, she didn't want to give him any chance to press the issue. On the other hand, if he truly did believe her, staying away might make him suspicious. In fact, that was probably making him suspicious whether he believed her or not.

That thought decided it for her. She had to go to the bridge. She had to act normal. The problem was, the more 'normal' she tried to act, the more suspicious her master always acted. There was no way to win! _Your system's full of poison. You have no idea if it's lethal, if there's a cure, or even what the heck it is. You can't tell anyone because that could cost us the mission and thousands of people's lives. If you master ever finds out that you've been lying to his face and hiding this from him, you're even deader than if poison _is_ fatal. And you only just now figured out there's no way to win? Maybe the poison is effecting your brainpower, girl._

**

* * *

**

Anakin's Pov

Anakin stood in the war room, planning for the mission. Ok, that may have been the wrong choice of words. Pretending to plan for the mission was a more accurate statement. His thoughts were actually in a dozen different places, and the current mission wasn't one of them.

First of all, his mind was on his most recent dream. In some ways, it was similar to the first one. The emotions he'd sensed the first time were still there. But somehow, there'd been a sense of urgency present throughout it.

Also in this dream, like the others, he'd only been able to see Ahsoka's face. She was looking straight at him, eyes wide with either shock, panic, pain, or a mixture of all three. But a moment later, her face has disappeared from his view. As if she'd ducked down to hide. However, in that moment, a feeling of horror washed over him, as though some part of him knew something bad had happened, even though his conscious mind had no idea what it was. A sharp scream of pain had echoed strangely in his ears. That was when Anakin had woken up. He was just as lost as he'd been when he'd had the first dream. And just like every other thing that he couldn't figure out, it stuck in his mind, drawing all his focus at random moments, whether it was appropriate or not.

Another thing that Anakin's mind seemed to think was suitable to roam to was Ahsoka's behavior. He knew the two things were connected somehow so if one came to mind, the other would inevitably follow.

Anakin ran a thousand different scenarios through his head. None of them fit her actions right.

It wasn't distractions. His apprentice knew when to keep her mind centered and focus on the present. Even though she might be having difficulties actually accomplishing this, she wouldn't allow it to affect her like this. Ahsoka knew that when she wasn't paying attention on what she was doing or doing her job right, people got hurt. Or worse.

It also wasn't stress. Master Plo had confirmed that one. Ahsoka handled pressure well. Better than most young padawans. He thought back to the blue shadow virus mission. She'd done excellent then. Even while being infected. She hadn't let anything stop her from doing what needed to be done...

Nothing would.

So, was she sick and not telling him? It fit better than anything else he'd thought of. A cold could be making her tired, he supposed.

This got him nowhere. He'd pondered all of this before. It seemed to be all he thought about and it was spinning him in circles. These dreams were still bothering him and a little illness wasn't causing them. It was something more. Maybe-

"Anakin!"

The strong voice jerked him from his thoughts so fast, he felt like he might have whiplash.

Admiral Yularen stood in front of him looking rather irritated.

"What?" Anakin snapped. He hadn't really meant for it to come out so rude but he wasn't in the best mood now to begin with.

Yularen cleared his throat and spoke with a little more formality. "My apologies, sir. I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes and you haven't been responding."

Anakin calm himself down, knowing his had no reason to be curt with the Admiral. "Sorry Admiral. I was just thinking about something. What is it?"

"We've arrived at Alliga. I was just checking to see if you were ready."

_Shoot. _"Um. Well, no. But it'll be ok," Anakin said. "We'll just….wing it."

Yularen blinked. "Right," he said doubtfully.

Anakin nodded once and started out of the room when he heard Yularen start again. "Sir, we've also scanned the vicinity around the factory. There are no signals anywhere around the area."

Anakin's eyebrows nit together. "There's nothing?"

Yularen shook his head.

"Well. I guess we'd better go check it out. We'll just have to be on our guard against a trap."

As Anakin turned back around to head to the hanger, Ahsoka came in. They almost ran into each other.

"Oh, hey," Anakin started. "I was just headed down. Are we ready to go?"

"Um," Ahsoka paused, as if confused. "Yeah, that's what I was coming up to tell you," she said quickly recovering herself.

Anakin nodded, though a bit puzzled at the hesitation. Had she wanted something else? But Ahsoka was already backing up and waving him out the door. "Come on, Skyguy!" Perfectly natural.

He followed her down to the Twilight. "Ready to head out, Rex?" he asked as he passed the captain on the way aboard the small ship.

"Yes sir. We're all set," Rex answered firmly.

"Good." Anakin slid into the pilot seat and started flipping on the controls.

Ahsoka slipped into the seat beside him and began to do the same.

"Ready Snips?" Anakin asked turning his head to check her expression.

The smile that crossed her face was a little too tight to be called natural, but when she spoke, her voice was completely at ease. "Let's hit it."

* * *

**Ok. Now for the bad news. I can't update for another week at least. Sorry. Really, I do feel bad. I hate it when people do this too. I'm workin on it though, so til next time! Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Next chapter fiiiiinally up! And no lame excuses this time. I've just had kinda a writers block and no time to work through it. Ugh, I put up a lame excuse anyway. Sorry about that and EXTREMELY sorry about the wait. I am honestly trying. And this time, I mean it. I work on it every night now. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"Commander." The familiar voice rang with formality.

Ahsoka turned in her chair to face the speaker.

Rex stood near the back of the small bridge. "There's a transmission coming in for you, sir."

Ahsoka was confused for a moment, her eyemarks knitting together. "For me?" she questioned. "Who from?"

"From Brianna Sheii. The scientist we found on-"

"Oh, I know who she is," Ahsoka cut in. She was abruptly glad that Anakin had left the room a few moments ago. "I'll take it here."

Rex nodded and hit a button.

A small blue holoform of Brianna appeared on the dash in front of Ahsoka. "Hello Brianna."

"Hello Ahsoka, I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Ahsoka nodded, catching the double meaning to Brianna's casual words. Remembering Rex, Ahsoka spun to address the Captain. However, he turned to leave the room before she had the chance to get the words out.

Once the door hissed shut behind him, Ahsoka spoke to Brianna again. "How is Atristian doing?"

"Not well, I'm afraid," Brianna answered, both tone and expression turning from politely serene to severely stressed.

Ahsoka's own face became both sympathetic and anxious.

"However, there is some good news to report, which is the reason for my calling," Brianna stated, a trace of hope touching her features. "The tests came back."

Ahsoka expected the scientist to continue, but when she didn't, Ahsoka spoke. "Whose? Hers or mine?"

"Both," Brianna informed her. "It turns out, both of you are infected with the same poison."

Ahsoka's confused look had the woman pausing to explain.

"You see, while you were infected through your blood stream, my sister inhaled the toxin. This is the reason for the difference in your symptoms."

Ahsoka had a thousand questions, but she decided to let Brianna talk and ask them when she was done.

"Of course I explained that it is affecting Atristian's respiratory system. But that's not how it's created to work. The plant from which the poison comes from makes use of the toxin through barbs which it fires out towards an enemy in self-defense."

This was all well and good but Ahsoka was at a lost as to how this helped them now. Then Brianna answered that unspoken question.

"The barbs pierce the skin and inject the poison into the bloodstream. This is simply a roundabout way of infecting someone the same way you were infected. Or rather you were infected a roundabout way of how it is supposed to be used. When the toxin is transmitted that way, it affects your cerebellum."

Ahsoka looked at her blankly.

"The base of your brain," Brianna clarified. "It is the portion of your brain that controls coordination and balance."

_Oh. _Ahsoka thought to herself. That accounted for a lot of the side affects. The dizziness, the lack of a sense of equilibrium. The only thing that wasn't explained was the headache when at rest and the more recently realized pain spells.

"The poison starts there, but before long it will begin to affect other areas of your brain."

"Yeah," Ahsoka started. "I think it already has."

Brianna's eyebrows knit together before she continued, her voice softer now. "Eventually, those systems will begin to shut down."

She didn't say more. Not a word. And she didn't have to.

Ahsoka knew what Brianna couldn't bear to tell.

"But," Brianna started again, struggling to sound hopeful. "Since you are both suffering from the same thing, you can both be cured by the same thing. I have already begun work on an antidote."

Ahsoka smiled. "I don't know how to thank you, Brianna."

Brianna smiled a small smile in response before replying to the Togruta. "By staying tough and keeping yourself alive until I can finish the remedy and get it to you."

Ahsoka kept her smile frozen on her face, hoping that would suffice as an answer. At the moment she didn't know what to say, for she wasn't sure of what the future held for her.

Without a warning of any kind, Anakin walked in the door behind Ahsoka.

_Blast it! _Ahsoka thought as she raced for an excused for the soon-to-be-asked question.

"Snips, are you read-"Anakin broke off when he focused on the blue figure and recognition flashed in his sharp eyes. "Brianna?" he said, as though checking what he already knew.

"Hello Master Skywalker," Brianna answered, a picture of ease, while Ahsoka nearly chocked on her own panic.

"Hello. Um, can we help you?" Anakin asked as he cast a suspicious look at Ahsoka, which she hastily hid from by looking back at Brianna's shimmering form.

"I was just updating your Padawan on the progress we've made."

Again, Ahsoka's anxiety shot throughout her body, stiffening her limbs and widening her eyes.

"Progress?" her master questioned distrustfully.

"Yes," Brianna responded. "On Atristian's cure." She tacked on the end before Ahsoka could pass out from stress.

"Oh," Anakin responded in a surprised tone, with an undercurrent of something Ahsoka couldn't read, though she thought she could sense suspicion.

"I'm sorry; I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. I promised Ahsoka I'd keep her informed."

"No," Anakin told her, shaking his head. "Its fine, but you will have to excuse us now, we have to run."

Brianna nodded and looked back at Ahsoka. "Well, until next time, young Ahsoka."

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Good bye, Brianna."

"Take care."

Again, Ahsoka noticed the double meaning in her words.

* * *

Ahsoka's breathing came quicker than usual as she chased Anakin up the side of the cliff. There were ledges and footholds all the way up in such a way that, on a normal day, she would be having no problem.

Of course, this was not a normal day.

Ahsoka had already been hit several times by spells of dizziness and pain that ripped its way through her stomach. Because of it, she'd dropped behind Anakin, despite the instinct to race ahead of him to the top. And because of that, she pushed herself harder. But because of _that_, everything got that much worse. It was a never-ending cycle.

Even so, Ahsoka continued to press on, consoling herself with the fact that the faster she went, the sooner the climb would end. She tried to distract herself by thinking ahead to what would happen once they reached the building at the top.

Rex and a few others were heading up on the opposite side, in case of a trap. Ahsoka hadn't really understood this at first, but when Anakin told her about how the factory was shut down, it'd made more sense. Once they'd all reached the top, they would take a quick look around, and then play it from there. Obviously, since they really didn't know what to expect, they couldn't plan out much.

Ahsoka was abruptly drawn out of her thoughts by the realization that she was standing on a ledge with nowhere to go. Or, to be more specific, that she had nothing around her to hold onto. The closest foot or handhold was a ledge, which was at least 15 feet above her head. She was going to have to jump.

Drawing on the force to boost herself and bending her legs low to gain power, Ahsoka leaped straight up.

Even with the force, the jump felt weak. Ahsoka's feet touched the edge of the rock, but started to slip off as her weight came down on them. Ahsoka sucked a breath in through her clenched teeth, making a soft hissing sound. Desperately trying to regain her footing, she threw her arms out in front of her. Just as she began to fall back, Ahsoka felt something clamp onto her wrist and yank her forward with a strong jerk.

Swinging her free arm to the side to keep from hitting the rocky wall, Ahsoka quickly recovered her balance, though not as quickly as she probably should have. She turned to see Anakin raising an eyebrow at her.

"What was _that_?" he asked in a strange tone.

Ahsoka shrugged, acting confused. "I guess I just…. estimated the distance wrong."

Anakin didn't look convinced. "Ahsoka," he began. "We don't have time to talk about this now. But when this mission is over and we get back to the ship, you _are _going to tell me what is wrong. Enough is enough."

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**Lol, well let me know what y'all think. Whatcha like and what needs work? lol review! and thank all of you guys for being patient with my extremely arritating self! :-)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Ok, this chapter did not want to get written but :-P. Too bad. Lol, ok so college courses start tomorrow. But I am not, I repeat, not, going to stop writing. This part of the story is actually the scene I thought of first, so it should flow pretty easy. Just keep in mind that school does come first and I can only function so well on 4 hours of sleep every night. Lol Anyway, that being said, enjoy the chapter. :-)**

* * *

"Captain Rex, come in."

Ahsoka listened to her master speaking into his wrist-com. She stood nearby, staring with unseeing eyes at the empty factory building that stood before them. And it _was _empty. They'd only barely skimmed the first floor when it became quite obvious that there was nothing there to be found. All the power was shut down, all the monitors black. Even the reactor was cold. No one had any intention of coming back.

Ahsoka tuned back into Anakin's conversation when Rex's voice came through the speaker.

"I'm here, Sir."

"Your search turn up anything?"

"Not a single clanker in sight."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ahsoka noticed Anakin glance up at her. She kept moving her eyes over the building as though she expected something to jump out, but she paid no attention to the structure. Her mind was focused on her master's expression. It wasn't calm, nor was it truly angry. It was…disturb.

"I suppose we'll head back to the ship then," Anakin said. "There's no point in hanging around here and we've got more urgent matters to attend to."

"Will do, Sir. We'll meet you there."

Anakin lowered his wristed and waved a hand at Ahsoka, signaling her to follow. "Come on, Snips," he ordered in a clipped tone.

Ahsoka cringed as she turned to follow. This was gonna be bad.

As they started back down the cliff, Ahsoka again dropped behind her master. This time, however, the distance was deliberate. She was _not _looking forward to the coming conversation and she saw no reason why her master wouldn't start it now. She didn't want to give him any reason to jump to it. Maybe if she could just keep pushing it off long enough, Brianna could finish the antidote in time and this whole thing would pass. Maybe Anakin would never have to find out.

Okay, she knew she was being ridiculous in thinking that just because she might be able to stall for a little bit, everything would smooth over. Still that wouldn't stop her from trying. She had to at least put it off until the mission was over.

It took less time to get down the cliff than it did to go up, so, much to Ahsoka's dismay, they made it back to the Twilight fairly quickly. However, the message that was waiting for them when they got there bought her a little more time.

There were supply ships taking off from the other side of the planet. The _Resolute_ detected three small cruisers waiting just out of the planet's atmosphere. Two had already entered hyperspace, but the other was still being loaded.

"Let's go then!" Anakin exclaimed, in between ordering everyone onto the Twilight and sending strange looks at Ahsoka. "We've gotta stop as many of those ships as we can. They're probably taking parts of the bomb to another stop to be pieced together into the final product."

Once everyone was aboard, the small ship went speeding through the air, quickly making its way around the planet's surface. While they were flying, Anakin ordered the _Resolute _to pursue the ships that had already made their exit.

They made it around the planet in record time. Anakin set the ship down some distance away, hoping to sneak aboard amongst the supplies and destroying the ship from the inside. They didn't have much hope of stopping it any other way with just the Twilight.

It wasn't long, though, before Ahsoka, Anakin, Rex, and another clone trooper named Ty were creeping up on the last supply ship. There were many boxes scattered around outside the vessel, waiting to be loaded.

Anakin nodded his head towards one of the crates, signaling Ahsoka to climb inside. She did, and after a minute or two, Anakin followed. Ahsoka shifted over as far as she could, but because the box was already halfway filled, there wasn't much room. She'd never felt closterphobic before this moment, but she and her master were pressed together so tightly, one wouldn't be able to wiggle a toe without the other feeling it.

"Where are Rex and Ty?" Ahsoka asked in a quiet voice as Anakin waved his hand and pulled the lid into place with the force.

"Rex is in another crate," Anakin answered, trying unsuccessfully to shift into a more comfortable position. "Ty went back to the Twilight. Here's the plan. As soon we get aboard, you and I are going to go to the bridge while Rex is going to go find one of the Navi-computers."

Ahsoka's eyemarks knit. "Why?"

"He's going to try and find out where the ship is headed."

"What does that matter? I mean, it can only be headed to either Kalee or Bestine IV. And Master Kenobi is at Kalee."

"True," Anakin agreed. "But wherever the ship is headed is where they will be putting the whole thing together. If it's at Kalee, then Obi-wan has already taken care of it. But if it's not, and the _Resolute_ can't catch up to the ships that have already gotten away-"

"-then we're in trouble," Ahsoka finished

"Exactly."

"But I don't understand how knowing where it's headed will help that."

"I'd just like to know how urgent the situation is."

Ahsoka nodded. "But I still don't think we should send Rex off alone inside an enemy cruiser. Even a small one. Too many things can go wrong."

Anakin's eyes narrowed at her. "Maybe but I'm not about to send you off by yourself either if that's what you're implying."

"Yeah, I figured that," Ahsoka grumbled. "That's not what I was implying anyway."

"Then what was?"

Ahsoka sighed. "I don't know. Never mind. I just don't think anyone should go off alone." There was a short as Anakin looked at his Padawan. It was one of those stares that Ahsoka could never imagine what the thoughts were behind it. She spoke to break the silence before it could become stifling. "Why did Ty go back?"

"Because we needed someone to come get us out before the ship explodes," Anakin said wryly. "Unless you have a death wish," he added.

As she knew he had meant it as a joke, Ahsoka managed the equivalent of a smile, but she felt her throat close and her heart pounded harder. As a result, pain shot through her stomach and she clenched her hands into fists to restrain stiffening her body. She strained to respond in the same tone of voice as her master's jokingly tenor. "I suppose there are worse ways to die." Even to her own ears, however, the sentence sounded sour.

The ride to the cruiser was graciously short. Within a few minutes after being loaded, they felt the crate being moved again and then roughly set down. After waiting a few more minutes to make sure everything was clear, they opened the crate and climbed out.

Ahsoka stretched her cramped legs and glanced across the cargo hold to see Rex climbing out of another box. After he joined them, Anakin said "Ok, everyone knows the plan now, let's get moving before we're caught here."

Not moments after the words left his mouth, three battle droids entered the hold.

"I'm just saying, you'd think they could give us armor or something… Ah! Jedi!"

"Don't just stand there, blast them you idiot!"

Ahsoka and Anakin sprang into action, but unfortunately, they weren't quickly enough. One of the battle droids hit an alarm before Ahsoka could get to him.

"Blast it!" Anakin yelled as he jerked his head up at the red lights that flashed along with the blaring alarms.

A swarm of battle and super battle droids came flooding into the hold.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin shouted as the droid fire starting raining towards them.

"What?" Ahsoka yelled back, not being able to spare a glanced in his direction as she reflected shots away.

"Get out of here and go with Rex to take out the Bridge!"

Now, Ahsoka turned her head and stared wide-eyed at her master, though the red blaster fire still came flying at her.

Anakin, not seeing her reaction, continued on the same breath. "I'll go to the Navi-computer if I can and then meet you at the escape pods."

Ahsoka's stare turned to outright horror as she realized what Anakin meant. "Master! I'm not going to leave you here to fight off all these tinnies _alone_!"

"Yes, you are, Snips!"

"Mas-"

"Shut it, Ahsoka and get moving!"

"But-"

"_That is an_ order!"

Ahsoka didn't dare argue further. Frankly, his tone of voice scared her. There was a frantic note in it that she didn't fully understand. But she understood it enough to know not to dispute it. Diving into a roll under the wave of red, Ahsoka rushed towards the door and sliced a few droids out of her way to get through the door and out of the room.

* * *

**Anakin's Pov**

Anakin swung his lightsaber in front of him, both reflecting bullets and cutting down droids. He moved more quickly, covering for his Padawan as she ducked out the door

Rex was taking cover behind a crate nearby, firing his twin blasters and the droids while looking for an opportunity to make a run for the exit.

Anakin could feel the disapproval in Rex. The Captain clearly agreed with Ahsoka about leaving Anakin behind to fight off the enemy by himself. But Anakin refused to risk Ahsoka being here. Though, he was nervous about having her out of his sight too. So he turned to Rex.

"Rex."

"Yes sir." Rex's tone was short. Not disrespectful, but almost annoyed.

"I know you don't agree with my plan, but please. Take care of Ahsoka. Something's going on, so just be careful."

Though Rex was wearing his helmet, Anakin could sense his confused, and concerned, expression. But Rex didn't comment. He just nodded and turned away. A few seconds later, he made a break for the door. Anakin covered his escape. Then letting out a breath, braced himself for the incoming droids.

_Be careful, Ahsoka. Don't do anything reckless. At least not until I get out of this mess and am there to cover you for it. _

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**Please please please review. I know I don't really show it what with the somewhat long waits between updates, but they really do keep me going. I like hearing from y'all and it's a great form of entertainment. lol :-) Thanks for reading! You guys are awesome!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any of the characters. **

**Alrighty. Chapter eighteen! Hopefully, this wait was a little more reasonable. Lol, I must work faster when I'm supposed to be doing something else, cuz I was putting off school work the _whole_ time I was doing this. Hehe. Anyway, thank y'all for all the reviews and tips. They were great stuff. Enjoy!**

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Ahsoka raced down the hallway. She heard Rex's rushed footfalls not far behind her. They were making fairly quick progress. Any droids that came into their path were sliced down, shot, or thrown out of the way and crushed by a strong force push.

However, all good things must come to an end, as the saying goes. Ahsoka soon began to feel lightheaded. Her head bowed and her eyes closed she reached out with the force to find her way. Pushing out with her senses, other things, things not in the immediate area, came into her focus.

She could hear droids. Both their footsteps and voices. Coming because of the alarm. No doubt sent to destroy her and the others.

She could sense a tense atmosphere. Created because there were intruders aboard the ship.

She could feel the slight vibrations of the ship. It was probably a combination of things that produced _them_.

She could sense her master. Determination. Resolve. And…anxiety. Or was concern the better word. That was understandable, considering where he was at the moment. There was no sense of defeat anywhere in him, however; not one shadow of a doubt. Feeling his confidence made Ahsoka feel a little better about their position.

And finally, she could sense Rex and his feelings; his wariness, to be more specific. He was always wary and serious on missions. And now, in full soldier-mode, he couldn't be more cautious. In fact, he was so alert right now, it made her a little uneasy. But she knew it was just because he'd left his general behind in a dangerous situation; something that'd been drilled into his mind since birth as never an option.

Ahsoka breathed in deeply, thankful that the distraction had worked and the dizziness had mostly passed. But, as her preoccupation faded, new realizations came to mind.

She slowed to a stop and turned to look at Rex, who halted beside her.

"Commander?" he questioned.

"I…. have no idea where I'm going," she admitted, feeling utterly stupid for running down random hallways for the last ten minutes in the middle of an important job. So many things were on her mind, she hadn't been paying any attention to where they'd been heading.

"Well, if this cruiser is built like any other Seppie ship, the bridge should be down this way," he said slowly, taking a few steps forward and pointing down another passage.

Ahsoka gestured forward with her hand. "Lead the way," she directed, while at the same time wondering at how Rex came to know Separatists ships so well. It wasn't too much of a mystery. It seemed like they were on the vessels every other week.

Rex immediately took the lead, increasing his speed into a swift run. Ahsoka leaned forward into her steps to follow.

They wound through more hallways and soon the door of the bridge came into view at the end of the hall. Naturally, it was being guarded by another crowd of droids.

"It's the Jedi!" one shouted, pointing with its pitiful excuse for a hand.

"No, you idiot," another contradicted, paying no attention to the approaching duo. "It's just one Jedi. The other is a clone, not a Jedi."

"I didn't say the other was a Jedi."

"You said Jedi, implying there was more than one."

"It's the same way both ways, you nitwit!" the first one argued.

"Really? I never noticed that. How confusing. GAHHH!"

Never before had Ahsoka been so grateful for the stupidity of battle droid.

The door to the bridge was jammed shut, so Ahsoka, after she and Rex disposed of the droids, shoved her lightsaber through the thick metal and slowly pulled it around, forming a circular cut in the barrier. It took longer than usual. Was it just her, or was the lightsaber harder to move. She knew the answer to that.

Eventually, the cut was complete and Rex kicked the piece out of place.

Ahsoka leaped through the opening, followed closely by the clone captain.

With only a few droids scattered about the room at different monitors, and a tactical droid in the commander's chair, the bridge was over taken by the two in a matter of seconds.

Ahsoka ran towards Rex, who pulled off the pack he was wearing on his back and lifted out a couple charges. Ahsoka did the same.

Racing to different computers and controls, each one placed a charge in strategic places around the room. Their plan was to cripple the bridge. It was an easy way to take out the ship, while still allowing them time to get off the craft and to a safe distance. A ship couldn't fly without a bridge, but it wouldn't explode all at once either.

In the midst of setting the final charges, Ahsoka and Rex whipped around to stare at the door when a horrible screeching noise sounded from that direction.

Suddenly, the door flew open and super battle droids swarmed into the room.

Igniting her lightsaber, Ahsoka whipped it around her as quick as she could as she tried to get every blaster shot. However, her movements felt sluggish and her swings were wild, sending the bolts flying chaotically in every direction. Afraid she would hit Rex with a deflected beam, Ahsoka decided to start dodging and taking out the tinnies up close. While moving her body around quickly to avoid enemy fire, Ahsoka drew on the force and launched herself into the air, flying over the closest droids and landing on one's back. Bending over it, she plunged her weapon into its chest. Then she sprang off, forcing the body into the two in front of it.

Rex was having a hard time finding cover, so Ahsoka tried to draw the droid's attention away from him so he could shoot without worrying about dodging shots. Unfortunately, she was quickly losing energy. Her arms felt heavy. She performed a neat backflip to get back in front of the group, and then drew all her strength to perform the strongest force push she could.

The heavy droids flew backwards, crashing into each other as they sailed back through the door.

Dropping to all fours and sucking down air trying to catch her breath, Ahsoka glanced back up at the fallen robots and then over at Rex. He was kneeling on one knee with a blaster held in front of him, aimed where the droids had been a second ago. As he lowered his weapon, he turned to look at Ahsoka.

Shifted back to sit on her knees, Ahsoka was about to get up when two assassin droids bounded over the pile of robot scraps outside the door and landed in the room. They immediately opened fire on Ahsoka and Rex.

"Blast it!" Ahsoka yelled reaching for her lightsaber. But no sooner did she have it in her grip than a sharp, burning pain shot through her hand forcing the weapon from her grasp. A cry of pain slipped through her lips before she could contain it and she grabbed her injured hand. But she didn't have time to sooth it. She leaped to her feet just as red blaster fire hit the ground where she had been seated, setting scorch marks into the flooring. She quickly dove at the droid, wrestling the gun away from it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other droid attacking Rex, but he seemed to be holding his own.

_Smack! _

Ouch. She hadn't seen the droid's arm coming. The force of the blow knocked Ahsoka off her feet. She slammed into the ground. Hard. Blood pounded in her head and black spots covered her vision as she struggled to stand up. She stumbled around for a moment, blinking fast, as she tried to find her balance and her vision.

Ahsoka's vision cleared far slower than she wanted, and needed. She caught a glance of Rex ripping the head off one of the assassin droids and pushing the decapitated form to the ground, sparks flying from its neck. She looked back to her own opponent just in time to see its foot come towards her body in a powerful kick.

_Shoot._

Ahsoka didn't feel the initial pain. At first, all she comprehended was the fact that she was flying through the air.

Then she hit a control board.

Ahsoka couldn't even form coherent thoughts. She felt an awful pain, mostly in her head, as she smashed into the panel. Then more pain as her body scrap against the controls. She fell in between to control boards, and felt herself sliding to the ground. The last things she felt were the small stings of sparks from the panel above raining over the top of her.

* * *

**Rex's Pov**

As the assassin droids sprang into the room, Rex lunged to the left to dodge the bolts that poured from their blasters. He took aim with his own weapon and began firing. Over all the gun fire, he couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a small yelp of pain coming from the other side of the room. As he glanced at the Commander, he figured he was right, as she clutched her right hand before springing backwards to avoid the droid's attack.

Suddenly, the droid in front of him charged, taking him by surprise. Again, Rex dove to the side to evade being hit, but his blaster fell from his grasp, out of reach. Rex quickly rolled to his feet as the droid came at him again. Catching its arms, Rex kicked the robot backwards and, as it stumbled, took advantage of its moment of vulnerability. He leaped forward and grasped the droids head. Then, bracing himself against its body, ripped off the metallic piece. It flared and sparked, so he threw it down and push the rest of the clanker away from him.

Rex let out a breath, but stiffened again when he heard a sickening thud. His head darted up in time to see Ahsoka's small frame smash into a control panel behind her, hard enough to form a large dent in the piece of equipment. The droid advanced on her as she slipped to the side, between the control panel and a circuit board.

Rex rushed to pick up his blaster, then fired at the attacking droid before he could finish the Padawan off.

When the droid fell to the ground, Rex ran over to the small Togrutan girl. Sparks poured heavily down on her, but she didn't so much as twitch. Not a good sign. "Commander?" his voice sounded in what she would've called his 'trouble tone'. "Kid? You alright?"

Ahsoka didn't respond.

_Not good, _Rex thought as he slipped his hand under her and hauled her away from shower of sparks. He touched his fingers to the inside of her wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was there, but uneven. He tried again. "Ahsoka?" he called, a bit louder. "Come on, kid. If something happens to you, the General is gonna have my neck." He lightly tapped the side of her face.

Finally, her eyelids fluttered, then opened to reveal bleary blue eyes.

"Kid?" Rex said, leaning over her.

Ahsoka groaned. Her eyes were unfocused.

"Come on. We gotta get you off this ship," Rex told her.

Ahsoka's eyes came to rest on his face and focused for a second, but she didn't respond to him.

Rex pulled one of her arms over his shoulder and helped her to her feet. She wobbled and her legs wouldn't support her. Pulling her arm further up on his shoulder so that her feet were barely touching the ground, Rex turned and activated the charges. Then, pulling Ahsoka with him, hurried out of the bridge.

After a minute or two, Ahsoka seemed to become more coherent. She actually walked along with him instead of him carrying her completely.

An explosion echoed behind them and the whole ship rocked. Alarms started to sound again.

"There go our charges," Rex said in a low voice as he pulled Ahsoka faster.

"Will we make it out?" she murmured, though the words weren't clear.

"We should," he responded, glad she was beginning to respond. They were close to the escape pods, Rex knew. He heard droids around the hall. _Uh oh,_ he thought. _I can't fight with her- _His thought was cut short by the sound of a lightsaber hissing and those very same droids wailing

Then General Skywalker came running around the corner.

"There you are!" he began, yelling to be heard over other explosions radiating throughout the vessel. "This ship is-" He stopped short when he realized Rex was supporting Ahsoka. His face went blank. "What happened?" he asked in a flat voice as he rushed towards them.

"Looks like she hit her head," Rex responded.

Without a word, Anakin looped Ahsoka's other arm over his shoulder and pulled her up.

"Get the pod ready," he said, nodding his head down the hall. "Some are damaged so look out."

Rex allowed Anakin to shift his Padawan's weight onto himself and then the captain started for the pods.

After checking each one, he finally found one that was undamaged. He leaned out right as the General came up. "This one's intact," he said.

After everyone was inside, Rex launched the pod. As they shot away from the doomed ship, he pulled out his comlink. "Ty," he said into it. "We're ready for pick up."

"Yes sir," came the firm reply.

Rex turned and watched Anakin as he set Ahsoka down, then looked away again. He turned and stared out the window while he waited for the Twilight to find them.

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**Hope you guess liked it! Chapter nineteen should be up soon. It's planned out, just not typed up. Anyway, thanks for reading. Review! **


	19. Chapter 19

**lol, well thank y'all for reviewing so enthusiastically. Lol it really gave me the drive to make time for this. I started it as soon as I got the last chapter up! Hope ya like it! Thanks to everyone for reviewing and enjoy this next chapter!**

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Ahsoka opened her eyes when her master nudged her again, with the same warning that he'd been repeating for the half hour or so. "Don't fall asleep, Ahsoka."

_As if I could, _she'd wanted to respond. Ahsoka was lying on the cot in the small medical bay of the Twilight. She had one arm thrown over her eyes, shielding them from the light, and the other hand pressed lightly against her head.

Anakin had told her that she had a concussion. Apparently, she had been really incoherent for a while. She also had a few mild burns on her back from where the droid had rather impolitely introduced her to the control panel, but they weren't serious. The head trauma was the reason for people's concern.

And by people, she meant Anakin, of course.

Ahsoka felt like he was overreacting just a bit. So she hit her head. It wasn't the first time. She knew he was right about her not sleeping if she had a concussion. And maybe to anyone else, he would seem fine. But Ahsoka could sense his worry; worry that was much stronger than she sensed from the others around.

Was she missing something? No, no one else felt overly concerned. The atmosphere had relaxed now that she was fully awake and responding. All except for her master. What did he know that no one else did?

Ahsoka decided to file that question away for further examination later. Right now, her headache dominated her train of thought. It felt like everything was coming crashing down on her at once. Her head hurt, both for obvious reasons and as a result of the poison. She was tired, again because the knock on the head was messing with her and because of all the sleep she'd lost. She must be running on…maybe 5 hours of sleep this week? And lastly… well there wasn't really a lastly. She just felt awful.

The dizzy spells and stomach spasms were coming on more frequently. About every half hour now. Sometimes sooner. Sometimes longer. But whatever the timing, they were still bad.

"General Skywalker." Rex had walked into the room.

Anakin turned from whatever he had been doing, Ahsoka didn't bother to look, to talk at him. "Yes Captain?"

"The _Resolute_ has come into view, Sir. We'll be aboard in a few minutes."

Crap. She was gonna have to move.

With a lot more effort than she tried to make it look like, Ahsoka pulled herself into a sitting position and swung around to hang her legs off the edge.

Neither man looked fooled by her act. She looked away and Anakin responded to Rex. "Good. Any ideas if they caught up with the other ships?"

"No Sir. But the Admiral is waiting to fill you in," Rex informed him.

"Ok, well let's get ready to board then."

Rex gave a single nod and then pivoted around to head out the door.

Anakin turned around just as Ahsoka slipped off the cot to her feet. Ahsoka and her master stared at each other for a moment before Anakin spoke. "How do you feel?"

Ahsoka smiled at him and rolled her eyes, which ridiculously enough, made her a bit dizzy. "I'm fine, Master."

Anakin just sighed. Then he jerked his head towards the door. "Come on," he ordered.

Ahsoka stood for a moment, then walked passed him out the door. Anakin followed a few steps behind.

After the landed aboard the _Resolute_, Admiral Yularen met Anakin just as he stepped off the Twilight.

"Sir, the Jedi council waiting for an update from you," he said when Anakin stopped in front of him.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Well, that would present a problem considering I don't even know what happened considering the two Separatist's ships that escape earlier."

"I will fill you in on the way," Yularen promised.

"Ok, let's go then."

Ahsoka followed behind, again grateful that the forthcoming explanation Anakin had demanded from her could be put off yet again. Ahsoka listened to the Admiral has he relayed the recent happenings to her master.

The _Resolute_ had given chase to the Separatist ships, which were stopped from entering hyperspace by a large asteroid field. However, the enemy ships were much smaller than the _Resolute_, so while they could cut straight through the field, the Republic cruiser was forced to travel around the whole thing. Unfortunately, the _Resolute_ was unable to make it around in time to prevent the ships from escaping into hyperspace. No doubt, they were now on their way to wherever the final stop is.

"Great," Anakin muttered. "Just what we needed."

"I apologize," Yularen said. "The ships simply outmaneuvered us."

"It's ok, Admiral," Anakin told him. "I'm sure you did the best you could. We'll just have to deal with where it leaves us now."

Ahsoka had kept quiet all this time, but now as they started to enter the war room where the council was waiting, she touched Anakin's arm.

"Master, can I skip this meeting and go to my cabin?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

It took a second for her to get his meaning. Then she remembered. This was the second time this mission she had asked him if she could skip a council meeting. The first time was when her shoulder hurt and she'd wanted to get it cleaned before Anakin saw it. Her shoulder; the start of this whole mess. It seemed almost ironic that she'd been so concerned about him finding out about it before. If only that was all she had to worry about now; a little gash. She gave a weak laugh, "Yeah, again."

"What is it this time?" he said, speaking as though he expected an excuse.

"I just don't feel like sitting through a boring council meeting," she said, trying to sound like her normal self. From the look on her master's face, she failed miserably. She knew why. She used to beg him to let her stay in the room during the meetings. There was no way to sound normal when you asked to do things you wouldn't normally do.

Anakin glanced behind him at the Admiral who had been waiting for Anakin to enter first. But evidently, Yularen took a hint from Anakin's expression and walked into the room ahead on them, the door sliding shut behind him. Anakin turned back to Ahsoka. "This better not have something to do with finding a way to keep more secrets from me!" he whisper-shouted.

Ahsoka copied his posture of leaning forwards, towards him. "I'm not-" she started in the same way.

"No. I don't want to hear it," he cut her off sharply. "Go to my quarters and wait for me there. When I get out of the meeting, we're going to have a talk and you _will _tell me _everything_. Understood?" His voice offered no opening for argument.

Ahsoka looked down. "Yes," she said softly.

"What?" Anakin said, though Ahsoka suspected he could hear her and he just wanted her to repeat it for effect.

"Yes Master," she said louder, lifting her head as she did, though she didn't meet his eyes as they flashed angrily at her face.

Anakin breathed out heavily, and then nodded his head down the hallway. "Now get going."

Ahsoka turned and started walking slowly in the way he directed when she heard he call out, "and don't-".

"-fall asleep," she finished as the same time as him. When she didn't respond in any other way, she heard the door swish open and then closed, signaling her master's entry.

Ahsoka trailed down the familiar hallways, her face blank but her mind busy. How was she gonna get out of this one?

She walked slowly, but soon found herself standing in front of her master's door. She sighed, then took a step closer so it would open, and walked inside.

Ahsoka looked around the room. All the command quarters were pretty much the same, so Anakin's room almost identical to her own. The only differences were the few possessions that each one had in their rooms aboard the ship.

Again, Ahsoka sighed, then went and sat on her master's bed. She would have a while to wait before he came here. Surely after the meeting, which would take who knows how long, he would try to contact Obi-wan for an update on his position. That left her with time to kill.

Her eyes roamed about as she tried to keep herself awake. It wasn't working very well, for her eyelids were soon drooping. Her head was nodding, and she couldn't keep stay awake. She knew wouldn't be any good on a mission like this, assuming she could talk her master out of his concerns. But she shouldn't fall asleep! To occupy her mind, she tried to think of an argument for her master. Maybe she could tell him it was something a little less serious. That… she was sick? A virus, maybe… just… some kind… of bug? Sleep was flooding her mind, making her thoughts slower and slower. She slowly sank back against the wall the bed sat up against. It shouldn't be comfortable, but she was so tired…..

Half an hour later, when Ahsoka awoke, her head was hammering, her abdomen was twisting and squeezing with the worst pain she ever felt, and she felt _beyond _nauseated…

Pushing to move quickly despite her pain, Ahsoka jerked out of bed and ran to the refresher, where she vomited into the commode. Luckily, she hadn't eaten much more than protein packs for the day or two. After emptying her stomach contents, she stumbled into the main room, still sick to her stomach. She put a hand to her forehead. Black spots started to cover her vision, as it had done once before. Ahsoka waited a few seconds, then blinked her eyes and shook her head. No change. Ahsoka closed her eyes and waited then opened them. Her sight didn't return.

Ok, now she was starting to panic a bit. She felt her way back to the refresher and splashed cold water on her face. Then she dried off and slowly made her way back to the bed.

Five minutes passed. Nothing appeared before her eyes. Now she was really panicking.

When ten minutes passed and she could still see nothing, Ahsoka knew she was in even bigger trouble than before.

She rose to her feet and frantically waved her arms around, trying to find the door. She stretched out into the force, trying to sense objects to avoid running into them.

As the door slide open, Ahsoka sense a familiar presence.

"Rex? Is that you?" she asked tentatively.

"Um, yes…" came the slow response. "What's the matter, kid?"

Ahsoka could sense his confusion. No doubt at her blank stare and odd question. "Rex…" she hesitated, not wanting to tell him. Then she sighed. "I…I can't see."

There was no response.

"That's not funny," he replied after a moment.

She sensed him turning away. "No, wait," she said, reaching blindly in front of her. "It's not a joke! I really can't see!"

Again there was no response. After a few seconds, she felt a movement in the force. She jerked her head back, and at the same moment felt air rush passed her face.

"Yeah... knew you were playing a joke," Rex mumbled.

"No! Rex! I could sense you moving through the force. Please, you have to help me find my master," she pleaded. "Please."

Ahsoka could feel movement again but this one was calmer. She didn't move.

"You really can't see," he stated, surprise coloring his tone.

She shook her head. "Where's Anakin?"

"In the war room. Come on," he said. Something touched her arm. His hand? Yes, it gripped her arm and gave it a small tugged. She followed, letting him lead her through the halls. After walked a little ways, she heard voices and sensed her master nearby. Rex paused for a moment and she heard a door open close by. They must be standing in front of the war room. She walked inside with Rex's guidance. She sensed when Anakin turned around and then his confusion.

"Ahsoka?" he said. "What's going on?"

"I…umm….." She just couldn't force the words out.

"She…" Rex hesitated, and then continued for her. "… can't see, Sir."

"What do you mean, she can't see. Ahsoka?" Anakin said, waiting for her to speak.

"He means, I can't see, Master," she responded, sighing.

No response. _Talk people!_ she wanted to yell at them. Did they always have to think first? "What happened?" he asked eventually, his voice showing every bit of his shock.

Ahsoka sighed and dropped her head, though there was no point. She was just hiding her face. She was trapped.

"Master… we have to talk."

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**Dun dun duuuuuun. lol I know, I'm evil with the clift hangers but I like doing it that way. :-) working on the next chapter soon but going not now. lol review! Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys. Sorry for the little bit of a wait. Took longer than I meant it to. But it's up now so it's all good. It's a little short, but the next one will be good. ;-) enjoy!**

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**"Ahsoka?" he said. "What's going on?"**

**"I…umm….." She just couldn't force the words out.**

**"She…" Rex hesitated, and then continued for her. "… can't see, Sir."**

**"What do you mean, she can't see. Ahsoka?" Anakin said, waiting for her to speak.**

**"He means, I can't see, Master," she responded, sighing.**

**No response. _Talk people!_ she wanted to yell at them. Did they always have to think first? "What happened?" he asked eventually, his voice showing every bit of his shock.**

**Ahsoka sighed and dropped her head, though there was no point. She was just hiding her face. She was trapped.**

**"Master… we have to talk." **

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"Of all the stupid, reckless, irresponsible things you could ever think of, this has got to be a winner!" He'd been yelling for so long, Anakin wasn't even looking at her anymore.

Ahsoka wasn't looking at him either. Instead, she stared into space across her room. At least she could see the room now. A trip to the medical bay and a little treatment for her head injury had returned her sight. Though, at the moment, she suspected her hearing might be in danger.

"What were thinking keeping something like this from me?" Anakin yelled, but he didn't wait for an answer before continuing with his rant. "You weren't! That's what you were thinking!"

After Ahsoka could see again, she had told her master everything. Then, they had contacted Brianna and Atristian. Brianna said the blindness was probably a combination of the poison and the head trauma. It wasn't a natural effect of the toxin.

When they broke the connection, she and her master went to her room. Anakin was furious, and by unspoken agreement, they'd both decided that the bridge wasn't the best place to have the blow out. So they waited until they were in private. Which brought them to this moment.

Anakin was still pacing back and forth, yelling at no one in particular, it seemed. Ahsoka decided to wait for him to get it all out of his system before she would start yelling back. She was using his blow up time to plan out what she would say.

Eventually, his voice went down a bit and he stopped pacing to stand in front of her and stare her down. "Really Ahsoka. What were you thinking?" he said, still angry.

"I didn't…want you to worry," she said, telling him the truth for the first time in a while. "I didn't want you worrying about me while we were fighting. Which you know you would have."

Anakin didn't respond for a moment. Then he spoke as though he thought it through, careful to leave her with no loopholes. "You should have let me worry about that."

Ahsoka frowned. Though she expected an answer like that, she didn't like hearing it. Luckily, she had a different tactic ready. "Another reason is that you wouldn't have let me fight, and then you wouldn't have had any back up." Her voice rose as she got towards the end of her statement.

"Well you're sure right on one point," Anakin retorted. "I'm _not _letting you go into battle while you're sick."

"We don't have a choice!"

"You are not going out there!" Anakin repeated, carefully enunciating each word.

"And yet you wonder what I was thinking not telling you!" Ahsoka shouted, jumping to her feet. She became a little dizzy at the sudden movement and her head hurt, but she was so angry that it didn't slow her down. "Master, you _know _that would put us at a huge disadvantage!" Ahsoka didn't mean to sound so pompous, but it was true, and they both knew it.

"It doesn't matter! I am your Master! It is my job to teach you and _keep you safe_!"

Ahsoka saw a good opening. She wanted to say the words calmly but there was adrenaline in her veins, making her feel like she was in a battle. She couldn't keep her voice low. "You're right. You are the Master. And that makes me the Padawan." The amount of attitude in her voice probably hindered her words effectiveness, but she couldn't manage to keep it out of her voice. She took a step towards Anakin. "And it's the job of a Padawan to complete the mission. _No matter the cost_."

Anakin stared at her, his expression torn. And also upset. And lastly, angry. He didn't like her words. Because he knew they were true, and there was nothing he could do.

Ahsoka crossed her arms over her chest. She continued to stare determinedly up at her master's face.

Finally, Anakin let out a breath. Squeezing his eyes shut, he reach a hand up and rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger. When he dropped his hand, he looked down and Ahsoka with tired-looking eyes. "Fine. But you do everything that I tell you to do, exactly when I tell you to do it, no matter what is going on. Do you understand me?"

Ahsoka's eyes narrowed, but she figured this was the only way Anakin wouldn't lock her up somewhere. "Fine," she said sourly.

It was silent for a moment while they glared at each other, neither one happy at the other's words.

Eventually, Ahsoka grew tired of the silence. She felt weird asking questions but she wanted to know what they were doing now, and what had happened to Obi-wan. "Have you talked to Master Kenobi?" she asked, letting the irritation melt from her features.

Anakin, also, allowed the angry mask fade from his face, only to have a stressed look take its place. "Yeah I did. There's yet _another _issue."

_Oh no!_ Ahsoka thought franticly. Had something happened to Obi-wan?

"Don't worry," her master told her, seeing her anxious expression. "Nothing happened. I mean, no one got hurt."

"Well, what _did_ happen?"

Anakin paused, before responding. "One of the ships got through Obi-wan's attack."

Ahsoka's eyes widen. If one of the ships from Kallee got away too, that meant the Separatists had pieces from all three factories. Meaning that they had all of the pieces they needed to make at least one of their bombs. Not good.

"Yeah," Anakin stated, again reading her expression well. "We'll have to move fast. Come on," he said, resting a hand lightly on her shoulder, and pulling her to follow. He tugged a bit rougher than expected, making Ahsoka suspect he was still a bit mad at her for keeping her condition a secret. But now wasn't the time to comment. Not if she wanted answers. She would bring it up later.

Anakin led her back to the bridge, where Ahsoka realized that they were already moving through hyperspace. No doubt headed for Bestine IV.

"We're not far from Bestine IV now."

_Knew it._

"What do we do when we get there?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, like I said, we're going to have to be moving pretty fast," Anakin started. "Because of the positioning of the factory, we won't be able to go in unnoticed. We'll meet with a lot of resistance before we even land."

Ahsoka nodded. "Are we going in by gunship, or fighters?" she questioned. "Or are we dropping?"

"I want to go in by fighter," Anakin stated, but then continued. "But I think gunship would work better. We'll have fighters around though. We'll need someone to draw fire away from the gunships, or we'll be finished before we even get close."

"How soon?"

"We'll be launching as soon as we arrive. Rex should be getting the troops together now."

Ahsoka raised an eyemark. "What about Master Kenobi? Is he already there waiting for us?"

Her master shook his head, but said nothing, suddenly interested in the familiar blue lights of hyperspace.

"Master?" Ahsoka said, eyeing him suspiciously

"He's tied up at Kalee. We're going in without him."

Ahsoka paused for minute, then replied in a concerned voice "That's awful risky, going in without backup."

"We don't have a choice. This situation has gone from urgent to critical. We can't afford to wait." He sounded as though he had said all this before. It sounded rehearsed. She knew him well enough to know what that probably meant. Again, she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Does Master Kenobi know that we're going in without him?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not exactly," Anakin admitted, but he was quick to continue. "I didn't say it outright, though... I'm sure he'd guessed it."

Ahsoka turned her eyes to the ground, her brow wrinkling. She felt her master's stare on her.

"Don't worry, Snips. By the time we get there, Obi-wan won't be far behind," Anakin said softly.

She nodded, but didn't respond.

"Hey," he said, trying to get her to look at him.

She lifted her eyes to his face.

"We'll be fine, Ahsoka. But listen, if something happens, and you get in trouble, run. Or if you're trapped, yell to me. I'm not going to be far away," he promised.

She couldn't resist smiling wryly at him. "Its okay, Master. I've been dealing with this for four days. I'll be fine."

Anakin sighed and stared at her.

Ahsoka decided 'later' had arrived. "Are you mad at me?" she questioned bluntly.

Anakin seemed to think for a second. "No," he said. "Not right now anyway," he expounded.

Ahsoka pursed her lips, then, due to his last statement, rephrased the question. "Are you going to be mad at me with this is over?"

"I don't know. Ask me again when you're cured."

"If I'm cured," Ahsoka added. Though she said it to herself in the softest breath, her master heard her.

"_When_ you're cured, Ahsoka," he said firmly, if not angrily. "When," he said softly although, it sounded as though he was speaking to himself now. "When."

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**Like I said, shorter than the last few ones, but the next one should be a good one. :-) Stay tuned! Thanks for reading, and review please!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Ok. I wasn't gonna put this up until tomorrow but I'm kinda excited for it. I hope y'all like it as much as I do. But first let me tell ya something. Lol, I just read my entire story once through and I noticed a lot of typos and grammar errors and just a lot dumb mistakes that I should have fixed. But let me tell you why. I'm very much a perfectionist with the story part of my writing and that's my main focus when I first type it all out. I go over it multiple times and often change a lot of things along the way. Then I usually try to go back over it and search for other kinds of mistakes. But, to tell you the truth, I'm usually so sick of the chapter I've just written that by the time I'm satisfied with the story, I just want to get it out and be done with it. lol, sorry I know this author's note is really long, but I just thought y'all should know, I'm not naturally bad at spelling and grammar and typing. lol Anyway, I'm done talking now, so enjoy the chapter!**

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Ahsoka stood in the gunship as it rode down towards the surface of Bestine IV. The flight was not a smooth one. A fierce storm knocked the small ships around violently.

Behind her, Anakin stood closer to her than was normal. Every time the ship was hit by a particularly hard gust of wind, he would set a hand on her shoulder, holding her steady. It wasn't really uncomfortable. It just kind of went against the grain for her not to be annoyed by it. But she had to admit, even though, if she had the choice, she would rather him not know, it felt good to know that he was there. To know that she wasn't shouldering it alone.

No, Anakin didn't make her uncomfortable. What made her uncomfortable were the clones that were watching. Even above the wind, Ahsoka could hear the men whispering to each other through their helmet comms. Did they _all_ know? Probably.

Ahsoka hid inside the deep hood of her cloak. Despite the fact that the Jedi hardly ever wore them on missions anymore, Ahsoka liked the cloaks. She liked the feeling of them. She wasn't sure why her master had wrapped one around her on this mission. Maybe he had sensed she felt awkward under the stares of all the men, knowing her secret was out.

She glanced back at him, his face hidden by the shadows of his own hood. Even covered by the dark, his icy blue eyes shone, giving him a mysterious look.

Suddenly, the gunship lurched. This lurch had nothing to do with the blasting, hammering wind that they'd been fighting the whole way down.

"They've spotted us!" the pilot's voice rang out, competing with the howling wind, booming thunder, and now, the sound of crashing explosions that echoed throughout the air.

"How close are we?" Anakin shouted, leaning towards the pilot with one hand still resting on Ahsoka's shoulder.

"We're still a good ways from the ground, Sir!" the reply came. "But I don't know how much farther we can go! The Separatists seem pretty set against giving us any room or opportunity to land!"

Anakin looked down at Ahsoka. He bent over to talk into ear. "You think you can make a long jump?"

She nodded and pulled back her hood. "Ready!"

He looked up. "Open the doors," he yelled to the pilot. "Men, get ready to jump!"

The doors on both sides opened to violent scenes. Between the flashing of the lightening and droid fire, the roaring of the thunder and wind, and the explosions that contributed to both, Ahsoka's nerve took a beating almost as powerful as the ship. But before she could chicken out completely, she cast off her cloak and dove out into the sky. She could sense her master close behind.

Ahsoka and Anakin fought against the storm as they tried to keep themselves on a straight path to the platform below. If they were blown even a little bit off course, they would go for a dip in the ice cold waters of the planet's oceans. Ahsoka highly doubted that would be a very pleasant experience.

But the water wasn't their only worry, Ahsoka was quick to observe. The blaster shots were coming right for them. Apparently, the droids had seen them falling.

She glanced at her master, which was probably a bad idea with the blaster fire rocketing all around.

Anakin seemed to sense her gaze and met her eyes. He didn't seem afraid. For the second time this mission, Anakin's confidence enhanced her own.

Oh, and another thing Ahsoka was fairly quick to note? This fall? Was a _lot _farther than it had first looked.

But when the ground came up, it came up fast. Panicking slightly, Ahsoka threw her arms out and pushed out with the force, trying the cushion her landing. Unfortunately, she didn't start soon enough to make as much of a difference as she needed. She came down hard on her feet and rolled across the slippery, metal platform. She looked over at her master, who of course landed perfectly and ignited his lightsaber the moment his feet touched the ground.

Fortunately, Ahsoka didn't feel much more than a little bruised and hurried to pull herself to her feet. She, too, drew her weapon upon standing. And none too soon.

Row after row of battle droids marched from the huge doors that marked the entrance, and the exit, to the building. Behind her, she heard jetpacks switching on, signaling the arrival of the clones.

Then, blaster fire erupted from all around her; red lights flew at her from the droids in front of her while blue beams whizzed by from the clones grouping behind her back.

Ahsoka focused on aiming her deflected bolts back at the shooters, rather than just blocking as many as possible. From the amount of droids coming out of the factory, they had a long fight ahead of them.

Anakin abruptly leaped into air, flipping smoothly into the center of the droids' mass, where he began slicing and stabbing any droid within reach.

Ahsoka, following his lead, raced forward and started to cut down the enemy. Reaching out her hand, she flung droids backwards, taking out others along the way.

More and more droids poured from the doors in a seemingly never-ending stream. Not long passed before super battle droids began mixing into the flow that was making their way towards the Jedi.

"We can't get through!" Ahsoka yelled to her master.

"Hang in there, Snips!" he shouted back. "We'll make it!"

Pausing a moment to roll away from a pack of tinnies that surrounded her, Ahsoka replied breathlessly. "I didn't say... we wouldn't! I just mean… that… we can't break through them! We need... a new plan!"

Anakin, focused intently on blocking the shots being fired at him, spoke without looking away. "I'm open to suggestions!" he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh sure. _Now _he is," Ahsoka grumbled to herself, but she chose not to respond. She pulled a super droid into her lightsaber with the force, then sent it hurling backwards into others; a trick she'd learned from her master.

A few minutes later, Ahsoka spared a look at Anakin long enough to notice him talking, or screaming, in his wrist comm. She couldn't tell what was being said, or who he was talking to.

She turned her focus back to the droids. Swinging and slashing at the ones in front of her, she abruptly felt a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Oh no. Not now! Anytime but _now!

"Uh!" Something hit her from behind. She stumbled forward and whipped around to see other droids coming up, trapping her in the middle of a circle. The queasy feeling grew into a shooting pain that roared violently through her stomach. She doubled over, wrapping her arms around herself. "Master," she said, though she couldn't even hear her own voice. "Master!" she tried again, straining to yell loud enough for him to hear. The droids took aim.

Suddenly, Anakin leaped into the center of the circle, slicing apart two droids as he came down. He caught Ahsoka around the waist and slung her smoothly to the ground behind him. He stood over her deflecting bullets as she brought herself up to her knees. "What's wrong!" he shouted.

She didn't answer his question. Instead, she simply waved her hand and said, "just give me a minute. It'll pass." She clamped her teeth together as she waited for her words to become true.

Sure enough, a few moments later, Ahsoka lurched to her feet and took up a position beside Anakin. Sucking in a deep breath, she decided to speak before he had the chance. "Who were you talking to a few minutes ago," she asked.

"Obi-wan. He's almost here. We only need to hold out a little longer."

Ahsoka nodded, and then leaped forward to help out Rex, who was being forced towards the edge by a group of super battle droids.

Minutes passed. Slicing. Cutting. Stabbing.

Ahsoka noticed a flashed of metal in the dark, stormy sky. Vulture droids were head towards them.

_Are you _serious_?_

"Master!" Ahsoka yelled at the top of her lungs. "Look out!"

Anakin's head swung in her direction and his eyes lock with hers.

She raised a hand to the sky, pointing towards the incoming threat.

Anakin turned and followed her finger. Then, letting out a breath, he yelled, "fall back!"

Immediately, clone troopers began backing up. But where were they supposed to go?

"Fall back where, Master?" Ahsoka asked him when Anakin backed near her position. "There's nowhere to go!"

"Don't worry! Obi-wan will be here at any minute!"

_And any minute could be a minute too late,_ a voice in the back of her mind whispered.

Ahsoka mentally kicked herself. _No, stop thinking like that._ _It's not that bad. We've been through worse. _

_Not for you. _

_No! Shut up!_ she shouted at herself, while pondering in another part of her brain if hearing voices was a part of the poison's effects or if she was just losing it altogether. _Maybe it'd be better if I didn't make it through this. _She wasn't sure which part of her that came from, so she decided it was probably wise to just stop thinking altogether.

Then Ahsoka heard three of the best sounds she could hear at this moment. Gunships. The crisp, barking tones of clones shouting orders. And the blessed sound of a third lightsaber.

Gunfire rained on the incoming vulture droids, causing them to crash, though droids still came from the doors.

"Anakin!" a strong voice yelled.

The breath that Ahsoka hadn't realized she'd been holding was released at the sound of that voice.

Abruptly, Anakin grabbed Ahsoka wrist and pulled her after him towards a downed ship.

Ducking behind it for cover, Ahsoka saw Obi-wan waiting for them there.

"Well, this is a fine mess you two seem to have gotten yourselves into," he rebuked.

Anakin started to respond. "We couldn't-"

"-wait," Obi-wan finished. "Yes, I know. You got impatient waiting for back up so you charged headlong into it as you always do."

Anakin made a face that should probably look strange on a grown man's face. "We're not losing!" he stated, indignantly.

"Yes, well you are not winning either," his old master countered.

At this point, Ahsoka half expected her master to stick his tongue out at Obi-wan. Luckily, he didn't. Instead, he simply asked impatiently "so what's the plan?"

Obi-wan rolled his eyes before speaking. "Unfortunately, I don't have many men to spare. We lost a lot of troops at Kalee. I thought about taking a few squads around the back side of the factory and try breaking through from there while you are holding their attention here."

"That'll have us stretched awful thin," Ahsoka commented.

"I know," Obi-wan replied. "But I don't see that we have much of an option. I have a few squads joining you here as we speak. Chances are that as long as the droids think you're attacking here, they'll throw everything they have at you. Hold them as long as you can, but if things start getting too hot, pull out."

"We're not going to leave you in that place alone, Master," Anakin stated firmly.

Ahsoka nodded, agreeing. "We'll hold them here as long as you need us to."

"Good luck then." Then the Jedi Master leaped off into a waiting gunship.

Ahsoka watched the gunship disappear, and then turned to look at her master. He nodded to her with a questioning expression.

She nodded back with a confident smile she didn't feel. Then she sprang out from behind the damaged ship and back into the raging battle.

Minutes flew past as droid after droid fell at Ahsoka's feet. Bolts that came towards her flew back just as fast. But her energy was draining quickly.

More shouting.

At the sight of the next oncoming distress, Ahsoka's lightsaber seemed to have gained 10 pounds. Her arms sagged, as did her head and eyelids. She didn't have the strength to fight Managuards. She just didn't.

"Obi-wan should be inside by now!" her master's urgent warning called.

Ahsoka sucked a breath and focused on the determination in that voice. It wouldn't be long now, and then they could leave. It would be over. She wouldn't have to fight with her blood full of poison. Only a few more minutes. She could last that long.

Pulling together strength she didn't have to fuel the body that was now fighting against her, Ahsoka lifted her weapon with renewed resolve. They would not lose because of her.

Two Managuards attacked. And she held her ground.

But fighting these droids was different than fighting battle droids. These tinnies fought more like a Jedi, taking more energy to beat. Still, she refused to be defeated. She had burned through her adrenaline long ago, and was now running on pure willpower. Strength of mind. She stopped thinking of how tired she was and how much she ached. Instead, she focused on the fight. Only on the specific moves she had to make here and now.

_Block the strike coming at your head. There's one swinging at your legs. Jump. Push the staff you're blocking behind you. Flip, and land behind the droid. Use the force and push it into the other. Good. Careful, there's something coming in behind you. No, you've got a moment. Take out the one on the ground._

Ahsoka swung her lightsaber through the neck of the Managuard trying to throw off the smashed body of its fellow droid. The head went flying across the platform and off the edge.

_Nice, one down. Turn and stab at the one behind you…blocked, try again. Watch its staff. Roll! Nice. Wait, something shot at you. Block it. Okay, it's down. Back to the Managuard. Try rolling past it. Good. Wait! The one with its head off! It's moving! Kill it before it gets up! No! Look out; the one behind you is swinging down. Lift your lightsaber above you! Block it! NO! The one in front! Turn! Tur-_

Too late. The headless Managuard in front of her had taken her completely off guard, and was quick to take advantage of her vulnerable position, driving the end of its electrostaff into her stomach. The electric current roared through her body, causing more pain than the poison's effects ever had. Her teeth clenched together, making it impossible to scream, though she wanted to.

The pain stopped eventually as the Managuard pulled away, and Ahsoka started to feel past the pain again. She realized she'd dropped to her knees and vaguely felt the lightsaber still clamped in her hands held above her head. Unthinkingly, she released the weapon. It wasn't until she heard the _snap hiss_ of the lightsaber deactivating that she remembered why she'd kept it held where it was. _Oh... no. _The staff she had been holding away suddenly came down on her shoulder.

_Now _she could scream. The pain ripped through her body even more painfully than before. She couldn't hear, see, sense, or even think past the agony. Unable to even so much as take a breath, Ahsoka allowed blackness to flood her mind as her consciousness was torn away from her.

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**Anakin's Pov**

_By the force, would these things never _end_!_ Anakin thought to himself as the droids surrounded him. This was ridiculous. Although there was no sign of anymore vulture droids, Managuards had begun to attack. And they were bad enough.

He had noticed earlier that as they entered the platform, they tore right past the clones, headed for the lightsaber wielding Jedi, as he was sure was their programming.

Another thing he had noticed was that Ahsoka was getting tired. He wanted to get over to her to help her out, but the Managuards had gotten in the way. As he shoved against the Managuards' electrostaffs, a horrible scream of pain shattered through the air, causing shivers to race up his spine and his blood to run so cold, he froze and was physically unable to move.

Then it was silent.

Not silent in the literal sense of the word, as blaster fire still exploded all around him. But he felt it through the force; the silent horror that radiated from every man on this platform that knew her. Then he snapped.

Smashing all the droids near him with a violent force pulse, Anakin searched the battle field for Ahsoka. His breath stopped when he caught sight of his young Padawan. She lay crumpled at the feet of a pair of Managuards and, though one had its electrostaff pressed against her chest, sending electric currents through her small figure, she didn't respond. Then, as Anakin started racing towards them, the Managuard carelessly kicked Ahsoka's limp form towards the brink of the platform, where she slid slowly off the edge.

"No!" Anakin yelled when he found his voice again. Slicing the droids into scraps before they could even lift their heads, or, as one was headless, turn his direction, Anakin dropped to his knees near the end of the platform. Grasping the rim with both hands, he leaned over the edge, where he watched in utter dread as his apprentice fell towards the rough, black waters.

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**:-. :-0 :-O **

**Hmm. It really is evil to leave it like this. I get really irritated when people leave it hanging, but I gotta be honest it's kinda entertaining for me. :-)... :-/ but don't hate me too much. ;-) I won't keep ya hanging for too long. Please please review. I really want to hear your thoughts on this chapter. A friend told me it was good but I want to hear the thoughts of someone who doesn't know me. Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey! No long author's not this time! Just enjoy the chapter!**

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Death.

Though it was not exactly a commonly discussed subject in the temple, Ahsoka had heard many stories about near-death experiences. Some from holobooks and some from other Jedi. In many of the stories, the people involved weren't sure if they were dead or not. They had been in such a disoriented state that nothing seemed real and everything was blurred and strange.

She had never been able to make sense of those stories. Dead or alive; a pretty big difference, isn't it?

Ahsoka was _not_ dead. How close was she? She had no idea, but death was more than just blackness like this. When Jedi died, they became one with the force, and the force was not darkness. And so, she could not be dead. Although she knew this, the young Togruta could understand how people might be confused in this situation. No, she was not dead yet, but that was about all she could comprehend.

Her mind was fuzzy, and nothing was working right. She could vaguely recall the last electric shock, but nothing afterwards. Was she lying on the platform? No, she was moving, she realized. Floating midair.

Why couldn't she breathe? She could barely feel anything about her, but she could feel the pressure and pain in her lungs.

She felt body rise and drop, and the pressure in her chest increased. _Not midair; underwater_, an unclear voice somewhere in her head whispered. But her incoherent mind couldn't make sense of the thought.

Suddenly, her wrist caught on something and stopped her slow sinking. Something clamped firmly around her waist and pulled on her, forcing her back against something hard. Then she was being dragged through the water.

Ahsoka abruptly felt heavier. Her chest felt tight, like an Akul was sitting on it. Her throat and lungs burned, and a loud roaring noise was sounding in her ears.

A few minutes passed and she felt something cold against her back. She barely felt her mouth opening and her body reflexively tried to suck in air. Nothing came.

Her chest started heaving and tightening painfully at the lack of air. Something came down over her mouth, and suddenly, air was pushed down into her aching lungs. But there was little to no relief at the action, and her chest started convulsing again.

She couldn't control her body. It wasn't like being held down, but like something in her brain refused to transmit messages to the rest of her body. Her body simple didn't respond.

When her body stilled, something covered her mouth again and more air was forced down her throat.

This continued a few more times before Ahsoka's sluggish mind recognized a rhythm to air and lurching of her chest. Not lurching, but pounding. CPR, she realized. Was her heart not beating? Was that why she couldn't move?

Above the roaring in her head, Ahsoka could hear vague, indistinct mumbling. She couldn't make it out at first but it slowly became clearer.

"Come on... come on!" she thought it sounded like her master.

"Still no response?" came another anxious voice from close by. Obi-Wan?

There was no reply from Anakin, but the pushing on her chest grew harder and faster.

"Anakin…" Yes. It was Master Kenobi speaking

The painful thumping stopped for a moment and Ahsoka could hear her master's angry voice, but he spoke to fast for her to make it out.

Air was forced down into her lungs once again, artificial respiration she now comprehended. The breath came harder than before, nearing filling her chest. This time, her body reacted to the intake. She gagged, and choked on water that began flooding up her throat and out her mouth.

Anakin's relieved sigh sounded nearly as loudly as Ahsoka's coughs as he gripped her shoulder and turned her onto her side.

As the volume of water that Ahsoka spat out decreased, rough, painful gasps scraped up in down her throat. Unfortunately, other pains also became apparent.

Her entire body throbbed from the electric current that had raced through her body. Shooting pains shot through her ears and her nose stung.

Anakin was speaking urgently to someone, one hand on her shoulder and the other hovering just above her arm. But Ahsoka was distracted from him when she tried to swallow. She tasted blood in her mouth and her ears popped painfully. Ahsoka allowed her head to drop back to the ground and rolled over to stare through weak and blurry eyes up at her master.

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**Anakin's Pov**

When Ahsoka began spitting out water and sucking in air, Anakin called Rex over. "Get a gunship down here now!"

Rex glanced down at Ahsoka, who was now looking glassy-eyed up at them. He gave a nod. "Yes sir."

Obi-wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder as Rex hurried away. "Get her aboard. I'll cover your escape, and then meet you on the _Resolute_ as soon as I can." Anakin nodded, and Obi-wan hurried off towards the deactivating factory building.

Anakin turned back to his Padawan. Her eyes were closed again, and her breathing sounded horrible. She was in bad shape. There were burns on her stomach, shoulder, and chest from the droids' electrostaffs. Her ears were bleeding and her nose had a small trickle of blood coming from it as well. He bent closer to examine the burn on her stomach. It looked like the worse wound on her, though he knew that probably wasn't true.

He felt along her ribs and it didn't take him long to find multiple soft spots. Breaks.

Ahsoka winced and then looked up at him.

Anakin wanted a moment for her eyes to focus before speaking. "Hey Snips," he said softly.

She let out a breath and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, her nose wrinkling, but she didn't respond.

Anakin's eyebrows pushed together. He hated seeing her in pain. His head rose to the sound of an incoming gunship. He breathed out a sigh and looked back down. He slipped his arms underneath Ahsoka's shoulders and legs, and lifted her off the ground.

Though he moved as gently as possible, a small whimper of pain slid out before she clenched her teeth and pressed her lips tightly together.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

The gunship landed and he hurried on board. "Let's go!" he yelled.

There weren't very many clones standing aboard but all were members of his squadron. He could sense their worry as took note of Ahsoka lying limply in his arms.

Anakin looked out through the cracks in the gunship doors. Glared out was more like it. After all his caution, all his alertness and care, he'd still failed. Ahsoka had ended up critically hurt. If she died...

He struggled furiously not to let thoughts like that into his head. Still, they came anyway.

Slips of what missions would be like without her flashed through his head uninvited. Of what it would be like not to have her constantly talking to fill the silences that intimidated some people. Of what it would be like not to have her there to lighten the mood or have a ridiculous back-and-forth with just for something to do. To not see the look on her face when he came up with a plan that would probably get them killed. She would go along with it of course, but she would call him crazy and argue with him the whole time. He thought back to those first few hours with her when those same things drove him insane. It wasn't too long before they began to be entertaining. Now, it was an upsetting thought to lose them.

Anakin hadn't realized how close they'd become. Not close like him and Padme', but in a different way. It wasn't that kind of bond; that kind of love. But it was just as strong. He felt like he couldn't stand to have her taken away.

He looked down at the small girl in his arms. Her head was resting against his shoulder and her brow was furrowed. She seemed to be having trouble breathing, and was shivering slightly.

_Can't this thing go any faster? _he wanted to yell. But that would get them nowhere, so he held in tongue. _Hang in there Ahsoka, _he thought to himself. _Hang in there._

As soon as the gunship landed on the _Resolute_, Anakin hurried down to the medical bay with his injured Padawan.

The bay was almost full of injured clones from the recent battles. A medical droid approached him. "The youngling is hurt, Sir?"

"Yes," he answered quickly. "She was attacked by Managuards and was electrocuted several times."

The droid raised a small device it held in its hand and waved it over Ahsoka's face and neck for a moment. The device beeped a few times. "Lay her here, Sir," the droid said as it pulled back and looked at the small gadget.

Anakin gently laid Ahsoka on the narrow bed the droid had indicated. She didn't stir.

The droid walked right up to Ahsoka, promptly forcing Anakin to take a step back. A small light flashed on the machinery above Ahsoka's bed, and two more med droids walked over, blocking Ahsoka from his view.

Anakin's eyebrows knit together. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. You will have to leave," a droid said as it pulled a white curtain across, concealing the droids and Ahsoka.

"Hey wait. You can a least tell me if she'd going to make it!"

No response.

"Hey!" he said angrily, starting forward.

"Anakin."

Anakin turned to see Obi-wan coming through the doors. "How is she?"

"From what I saw, not good. But these blasted med droids won't tell me anything," Anakin told him, exasperated.

"Calm down, Anakin. Yelling won't help the...are you bleeding?"

Anakin cocked his head at Obi-wan, who then grabbed Anakin's right arm and pulled it forward. Anakin looked down at his side. There was blood there, soaking into his robes. He twisted to get a better look and noticed a slight pain for the first time. "I guess so...I wonder how I got that." Actually, now that he thought about it, he did vaguely remember a small pain in his side as he was hauling Ahsoka out of the water. He must have cut it against the metal siding. "Mmm, wait, I think I cut it while I was trying to get Ahsoka out of the water."

"The water? Anakin, you need to get that cleaned before it gets infected. There's no telling what kind of filth is swimming in those oceans."

"Not while Ahsoka's-"

"You can't help her right now," Obi-wan interrupted. "And you're most certainly not going to do her any good when you're lying in the bed next to her because you didn't get your own wounds taken care of."

Anakin frowned. "Fine," he said finally.

Casting one last look at the white curtain that hid his young Padawan, Anakin started off towards another droid. "Let me know when you find out anything," he called back to his old master.

A few minutes later, Anakin was sitting on a metal table while a med droid flushed out the gash on his side. It wasn't deep and hadn't been particularly painful until the med droid had started messing with it. "Ok, ok. That's enough. I think it's clean," Anakin barked, sliding off the table.

"Sir, I still must apply antibacterial and bacta patches to the wound," the droid insisted.

Anakin growled. "Fine," he snapped, pulling off his shirt. "Hurry up."

The droid was put on a wrapping over the patches and around Anakin's lower torso when Obi-wan walked in.

Anakin's eyebrows shot up for a moment. "Bad news or good news?"

"Both," Obi-wan said simply. "Come on."

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**So what'd y'all think? Hope you like it! The next chapter should be up fairly quickly. I'll do my best. Thanks for reading! _REVIEW!_**


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm very very sorry about the wait. I didn't expect this to take that long but there were a few things I didn't think about that I figure out. Anyhow, it's up now so here you go!**

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"First, I need to ask you about something," Obi-wan stated as they walked through the Medical bay.

"What? Obi-wan, tell me what's going on with Ahsoka and I'll tell you anything you want," Anakin said desperately.

"It's concerning Ahsoka," Obi-wan clarified. "I spoke to Rex."

He paused for a moment but, fortunately for him, he continued before Anakin could get his hands up to his neck.

"Please tell me that you didn't allow Ahsoka to go into a battle like we were just in while she was poisoned," Obi-wan said fervently.

Anakin let out a sigh that was a mixture of irritation, angry, and reluctant confession. "She didn't leave me with a choice," he insisted.

"Anakin! You're her master! You're supposed to protect her!"

"I know!" Anakin exploded. "_I know!_"

Every eye within sight turned his direction.

Anakin tried to calm himself. He had no right to be angry at Obi-wan. He had only reacted so because these were things he had fought with himself about before… before this happened. When he would have been able to protect Ahsoka. When he could have stopped his Padawan from receiving wounds that could kill her.

Obi-wan's eyes soften as he looked at his old apprentice. "Anakin, you must understand that your actions have consequences. You're responsible for her."

"You act like I'm not fully aware of these things," Anakin said through his teeth.

"Because you act like you're not."

"Look, I made a bad decision! But it's too late to take it back, so unless you're going to tell me how Ahsoka is doing-"

"She's stable for the moment," Obi-wan cut in. "That's the good news."

Anakin chose not to respond. He could already sense that she was still alive. That's not what he wanted to know. "What's the bad news? Will she make it?"

"They don't know yet. The injuries she's sustained have weakened her body so it can't fight the poison much longer. She's beginning to succumb to it." Obi-wan said gravely, reaching a hand to his beard.

Anakin closed his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"She'll have to receive an antidote soon if there's any hope of her surviving it."

Anakin looked up. "I'll have to contact Brianna Sheii. Let her know what's going on. Maybe she's found one."

"I'll do that," the Jedi Master stated. "You've got enough to worry about. How's your side?" Obi-wan began, gazing down at the bandage.

"Is she awake?" Anakin asked, ignoring his master's question.

Obi-wan shook his head. "She's out cold. But you can see her if you want."

Slowly, Anakin followed him back to Ahsoka's medical bed, but paused outside the white curtain when Obi-wan did. "There's nothing more they can do until we get back to Courscant," Obi-wan informed him.

"But that's halfway across the galaxy! Ahsoka may not have that long!"

"I know Anakin. But there's nothing we can do about it," Obi-wan stated, though he clearly wasn't happy about it either. That helped Anakin a little. "I'll go talk to this Brianna," Obi-wan said, half turning away.

Anakin nodded. "Thank you, Obi-wan."

Obi-wan rested a hand on Anakin's shoulder and squeezed it for a moment before pulling back and walking away.

Anakin watched him go, then turned and walked behind the half-drawn white curtain. He winced at the sickening sight of his Padawan's injured form.

Ahsoka was covered in bandages. Literally, she had them almost everywhere. With the exception of her leggings, which had been cut to her mid-thigh, her clothes had been removed, now replaced with white wrapping bandages. Large bacta patches covered the burn spots on her stomach, chest, and shoulder, while smaller one had been applied in random places on her arms and legs. Needles connected to IV bags stuck into the crease of her arm and the back of her hand. An oxygen mask partially covered her face and a heart monitor showing her faint heartbeat beeped over her bed. She was a mess.

Letting out a pained sigh, Anakin waved his hand and pulled a chair over with the force. He sat down in it and rested his arms on the side of the bed, leaning forward. "Ahsoka?" he said softly.

She didn't stir, but he hadn't really expected her to.

Anakin's head drooped and he ran a hand through his hair, a sigh of stress. He hadn't slept much since his night with Padme' and now, finally sitting still, he was beginning to feel it. He set his head down on his arm and allowed his eyes to close, listening to the sounds of Ahsoka's respirator. He soon felt himself drifting off.

* * *

Anakin awoke later to something lightly touching the hand sitting on the back of his neck. It felt like a bug, so he waved his hand to shoo it away.

He heard a weak, muffled chuckle, then something flicked his ear. Remembering where he was, he jerked his head up.

Ahsoka was looking at him with a slight smile on her pale face.

"Ahsoka," Anakin breathed, thankfully. Though her eyes were bloodshot and only half opened, and she still looked delicate and fragile, he was glad to see her awake.

"Hey Master," she whispered, barely audible through the oxygen mask.

"How're you feeling?"

Ahsoka let out a soft, single laugh. "Amazing. When's the next battle?" she said amusingly.

Anakin, wanting desperately to tap into whatever humor she found in this situation, tried to arrange his face to mirror her wry expression. It ended up feeling forced, so he dropped it. "Fortunately, not for a while," he stated. "Obi-wan managed to destroy the factory while you were unconscious. There's just the clean up left."

Ahsoka nodded, but spoke before Anakin could continue. "What happened to you?" she questioned, worry coloring her tone.

Anakin followed her gaze and noticed the white wrapping that was bound around the bulky patches on his lower torso. "Oh. My side got cut."

Ahsoka raised an eyemark and then a small smile came over her face. "Better be careful, Master. A cut was how all this got started for me," she said, looking over her injured and bandaged body.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "It's alright. It's just a scratch."

Ahsoka's tired eyes narrowed. "Lot of bandages for a scratch."

Anakin shrugged. "They were worried about it getting infected from the water, but the droid cleaned it and said it'd be fine as long as I kept the bandage on it until it's healed."

Ahsoka was silent.

"Ahsoka?" Anakin said. "What's wrong?"

"You were in the water because of me. Because I fell in after I let those stupid droids get the best of me. You dove in after me," she whispered.

Anakin didn't respond for a moment, wondering if she was going to continue. When she didn't, he spoke. "Of course. What was I going to do? Let you die?"

Ahsoka dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what? The cut? That's not your fault, it was just an accident," Anakin said, confused.

"Maybe, but it wouldn't have happened at all if I hadn't fallen in. And I wouldn't have fallen in if I'd defeated those droids. And I would have beat those droids if I hadn't been poisoned," she explained, sadly. "All of this was my fault."

"None of it was your fault," Anakin said intensely, leaning forward. "I should have been watching you; keeping an eye out and being more careful."

"Master, you couldn't have known any of this was going to happen," Ahsoka insisted. "It's ridiculous to think that you can prevent everything."

"But I knew that som-" he stopped himself, dropping his gaze to stare sideways down at the floor, and shook his head.

"What, Master?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin looked back up at her. Despite her intent look, Anakin could see she was completely drained. Now wasn't the time to talk about his visions. If he told her, she would be mad, and the poison was already sucking everything away from her. Adding something else could push her too far.

"Nothing," he said softly.

Ahsoka's eyemarks pushed together and her chin went up. "Master..."

"I'll tell you some other time," he assured, resting a hand on hers. He felt the tube connected to her hand, reminding him of her frail condition.

"Promise?" she checked.

"Promise," he confirmed, nodding. "Go to sleep. You need the rest."

Ahsoka's body relaxed and she closed her eyes.

Sitting back in his own chair, Anakin crossed his arms and stared at his young Padawan. She was so small and thin. Had she eaten anything lately? What had she been running on?

Very little, he realized. It was her drive to get the job done that had kept her going. He just hoped that now that it was over, she wouldn't give in.

_Don't give up, Snips. Keep fighting._

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**Lol, well since apparently I have no idea how long it will take to write chapters, I just won't say anything. Except that I'm working every night. Please review! thanks for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Ok, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated! I feel really bad about it believe me. A lot of things have been going on since's last time and writing, unfortunately had to be pushed down on the list. And another thing, I have to warn you, this chapter is really bad. I mean, my worst one yet, bad. I just wanted to get _something _up to show y'all I haven't given up. lol I promise, I will _not _stop working. just be a little patient. ok, well enjoy. **

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"General Skywalker." Though the words were not in any way spoken loud, they caused Anakin to jerk his head up from his arm. At first he was confused. Instead of the dark cabin he was expecting, everything around him was a stark white. Blinking his eyes, he eventually focused on the one thing in the room that wasn't white.

His apprentice.

Awareness slowly started to settle into his mind as he straightened up in his chair. He must have fallen asleep without realizing it. He hated when that happened. Now he would have no idea of how much time had passed.

Anakin turned his head to see Rex standing behind him. Though the Captain had one hand on his shoulder, he was not looking at Anakin. Instead, his gaze was resting on the injured girl on lying on the mattress in front of him.

Though it might not be enormously obvious to anyone else, Anakin knew that Rex had grown fond of Ahsoka. She amused, annoyed, and impressed him, often all at once, and they had a bond nearly as strong as Ahsoka and himself. It was clear from the concern on Rex's face that he was worried about the young Padawan.

"What's up, Rex?" Anakin asked. His voice was thick from sleep and he felt something in his eyes. He cleared his throat and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He must have been asleep for a while.

"Sorry to wake you sir. We're nearing Coruscant and I thought you would want to know," Rex stated apologetically.

_Coruscant? _"Already?" Anakin mumbled. "How long was I asleep?"

Rex gave a little shrug and raised his eyebrows. "Few hours."

Anakin widened his eyes in an attempt to fully awaken. "You should've woken me up," he murmured.

Rex let out a single chuckle. "I thought about it, but General Kenobi thought you could use the sleep. And he was probably right. You have kind of been dragging a bit, sir. There was no reason for you not to get some rest at this point."

Anakin resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the Captain.

"Besides, the med droids could work around you."

Now Anakin was a little embarrassed. He'd pictured himself passed out beside Ahsoka's bed with the Medical droids having to maneuver around him. How stupid. He couldn't believe he fell asleep. Standing to his feet, he turned to face Rex. "Um," he shut his eyes for a moment getting his thoughts together. "Do you know if Obi-wan's talked to Brianna Sheii?" he asked.

Rex nodded. "He has. That was another thing reason for waking you. He wants to talk to you."

Anakin didn't like the way Rex said those words. He glared at the Captain. "If this is him pulling that whole 'good news/bad news' thing again, I'm gonna kill him."

Rex shifted his weight and under any other circumstance, would probably have smiled. But this situation wasn't funny. "Perhaps I should take your weapon, Sir."

"Arrrgh," Anakin growled angrily as he brushed passed Rex. He snagged his shirt off of a hanging pole and continued out of the room.

Rex took a deep breath. He looked at Ahsoka, still bandaged and masked, lying on the bed. Leaning towards her, he whispered, "You better keep fightin', kid. If you give up, no one on this ship is gonna want to face the Separatists again." He hesitated and glanced towards the door that Anakin had just stormed out of before continuing. "Not to mention your master."

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**Obi-wan's POV**

Obi-wan stood in the war room staring blankly at the empty hologram projector table. He was waiting for Anakin to come in so they could talk about his conversation with Brianna. There were a few complications they needed to discuss.

Obi-wan suddenly sensed Anakin's presence nearby. He also felt his anger. It didn't seem to be directed at anyone; it was simply there. Obi-wan sighed. An angry Anakin was never pleasant to interact with. A happy one was just barely so.

The young Jedi Knight soon entered the room and Obi-wan looked him over. Anakin looked terrible. There were circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. The few hours had gotten in the Medical bay was probably all he'd had in a couple days. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, thought mostly concealed by stress and aggravation. Back in his dirty and torn battle clothes, which enhanced the look, he really appeared a mess.

"Alright," Anakin started. "What is it, how bad is it, and how can it be fixed?"

Letting out a breath, Obi-wan folded his arms in front of him. "I spoke with Brianna."

"And."

"And... she says hasn't been able to find a cure yet. She has some theories, but nothing that will actually resolve it," the Jedi master said gravely.

Anakin closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck.

Obi-wan recognized the stressed motion. "But there is some good news."

"What?" Anakin said flatly. "What could possibly be good about this?" He swung his arm behind him, pointing towards the door. "She's in there dying, Obi-wan. You do know that, right? Dying. As in my Padawan could lose her life!"

"Anakin. Brianna's developed a formula that may buy Ahsoka some time."

Anakin hesitated for a moment. "How much time?"

"Not much. Maybe a day or two."

Anakin sighed, and then nodded. "How's Atristian doing?" he asked.

"Well. Better than Ahsoka," Obi-wan responded. Seeing the look on Anakin's face, he instantly regretted it. "She's, uh, she's still...functioning, I suppose would be the proper word. I spoke with her briefly. She doesn't look good, but she's assisting Brianna. Ahsoka seems to have made quite an impression on them."

Anakin chuckled. "Doesn't she on everyone?"

Obi-wan nodded his head once, signifying his agreement.

Anakin looked down and didn't talking for a moment. He seemed lost in thought. There was a large range of feelings coursing through him. Obi-wan could sense them. He could also sense that Anakin wasn't even attempting to release them into the force, as he had been taught to. Anger, panic, loss, hurt. But also a raging sense of guilt. Guilt that Obi-wan guessed would only get worse as Ahsoka's health did.

_Anakin's definitely upset about this._ Of course he could understand why. But something about it worried him. Anakin's feeling were very intense. "Perhaps we were wrong," he said softly.

Anakin looked up. "What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps you weren't ready for a Padawan."

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "Why would you say that?"

"I think you're attached to her, Anakin," Obi-wan stated.

Growing angry, Anakin's voice rose. "I'm worried about her, Obi-wan. I'm sorry; I didn't realize that having emotions was against the Jedi code now too.

"They're not, but when you allow them to control you, then it presents a problem," Obi-wan said calmly.

"They aren't controlling me! Are you saying that if I was on that bed 5 years ago, you wouldn't be worried about me?"

"Oh Anakin, stop acting like a child," Obi-wan said, getting exasperated. "Of course I'd be worried about you. And of course I would be doing everything I could to help you. But you have to understand, if Ahsoka doesn't make it, you have to be willing to let her go. That's where you and I differ."

Anakin shook his head and started to turn away. "I don't want another lecture on the attachment rule. It's not an issue. Ahsoka's going to be fine. She's tough, she'll make it," he said firmly. He walked about before Obi-wan could respond.

Obi-wan stood in silence as he watched his former Padawan exit. _Master Yoda was right, _he thought to himself. _Letting go of Ahsoka is going to be one of the hardest thing Anakin ever has to do. Let's hope he won't have to deal with it just yet._

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Ok well, like I said, I'm...not satisfied with this chapter to say the least so I might work with it a little bit while I write the next one. After the next couple of days I'll have a little less stuff going on so I'll be able to work on it. Please review. I love getting then and they show it's worth it! I also made it so you can review if you don't have an account so I'd love to hear everyone!


	25. Chapter 25

**hey guys sorry for the wait. I decided not to change the previous chapter right now. Maybe later. Well anyway. I hope you like this chapter. lol When I figured out what I wanted to do on it, I was sitting on my couch watching TV. lol, when it hit me, I literally yelled out loud, "I got it!" then jumped up and ran to the computer before I lost it. lol My dad was the only one in the room and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind. lol can't imagine why. Anyways! Enjoy!**

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"Docking sequence initiated," the pilot's voice echoed through the bridge, accompanied by the clatter of buttons and the mechanical whirling of devices activating.

Anakin gripped the rail of the small platform that overlooked the rest of the bridge as he stared out the front window. They had just entered the Coruscant atmosphere and were about to land. He could see the platform now. From there, they would take a speeder to the Temple, where Ahsoka would be taken to the healers.

The ship hit a small bump, and several more mild thumps and creaks radiated through the ship before it finally stilled.

"Docking complete…" Anakin didn't wait to listen to the rest of the pilot's sentence before leaving the Bridge. He was anxious to get Ahsoka to the Temple healers and the anti-toxin in her. Yes, he knew it wasn't actually going to cure her but it would help.

Anakin walked into the Medical bay just in time to see Rex lifting Ahsoka, being careful not to disturb any of the tubes or IV's connected to her, and moving her to a stretcher.

Ahsoka's pale face showed no sign of pain or comprehension of any kind. She must be very deeply out.

Setting one hand on the edge of the stretcher, Anakin walked along side it as a couple of medical droids guided it out the door. It wasn't long before they were on the speeder and jetting through the air.

As they crossed the landing bay towards the Temple, Anakin looked up when he felt a ripple of pain through the force. One that wasn't his, or Rex's, or Ahsoka's.

Master Windu and Master Plo had come out to meet them. Both of them had their eyes locked on the figure on the stretcher, but only Windu's turn upwards to Anakin after a moment.

It was Master Plo's pain Anakin had felt. He couldn't read the Kel Dorian's face, due to the mask that covered the majority of it, but he didn't need to see it. His force sense said it all. The Jedi Master's feelings mirrored his own. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him and he was reminded of his first dream, where he'd sensed these emotions both around and in him. The setting had been different, put the feelings were exactly the same. Anakin abruptly felt tears flash to his eyes, and quickly blinked them away before they could be noticed. He blocked the ending to that nightmare from his mind, trying to stop it from fully setting itself in.

Master Windu was looking at him. Why? Had he said something and Anakin hadn't been listening. "I'm sorry Master, what did you say?" Anakin asked.

Anakin couldn't quite decipher the look on Windu's face, but if he were being honest, he had no interest in trying. "I said Obi-wan contacted us. The healers are ready for Ahsoka and the Echani scientists are having the medication sent over now," Master Windu told him.

Anakin nodded. "Good." He had paused for a moment to talk to Windu, so now he walked passed him to follow the Medical droids with Ahsoka into the Temple. Master Plo had gone with them. Anakin flashed back to the time he and Ahsoka had gone to search for Plo after he and his ship had been attacked by the Malevolence. Ahsoka had told him that Master Plo had been the one to find her and bring her to the Temple. They were good friends. Anakin had seen them interact with each other before. Their relationship didn't seem entirely different from Anakin and Ahsoka's. Perhaps a little more respect was mixed in, but still. The two of them reminded Anakin of a father and daughter. No wonder the surge of pain when Plo had caught sight of Ahsoka. It would have been like his daughter was lying there.

When Anakin caught up with the others he glanced at Ahsoka again. Obviously, Anakin had never had a daughter. Not a sister or any of the like, so he didn't really have any reason to know how Plo felt. But Anakin could guess what it was like. There wasn't a much lower feeling. Anakin walked along side Master Plo. He didn't attempt to start a conversation and neither did Plo. They simply walked in silence. It wasn't until Ahsoka was transferred to a bed in the healing wing that Plo turned to Anakin.

"The day we spoke. She'd been poisoned already."

It took Anakin a moment to gather his thoughts enough to recall the day. It seemed so long ago. When he did, his head nodded without a conscious thought telling it to do so. "Yeah. It was why she looked so tired and was stumbling all over herself."

Plo nodded. "Do they know her chances?" he asked in his deep voice.

Anakin sighed. "If she doesn't get an antidote in time, she won't make it. And from what I've heard from Brianna, that's not going so well." He hadn't realized how bad it sounded until he actually made himself say it, but he refused to keep his mind on it too long. It didn't matter how bad things looked. Ahsoka could hold out.

Plo turned partly around to look at the small girl they both cared for.

Soon one of the healers moved past the two Jedi and injected a small vile of an odd colored liquid. The treatment.

Anakin wasn't sure what he had been expecting to happen. Maybe Ahsoka's labored breathing to ease. Or the skin on her face to begin to brighten again. Maybe even open her eyes and give him a reassuring smile. Something that would give him hope that she would make it.

But there was nothing. No breathing change. No increase in color or heart pace. No response at all.

And that made it very difficult to find a foothold of optimism to hold onto.

So, he would make his own.

"Where are you going?" Master Plo asked as Anakin turned without warning to exit the room.

"To talk to the scientist who came up with the treatment. I'm not going to sit here and watch her die. There has to be something I can do," Anakin responded without slowing his pace.

Just before he left, he heard Master Plo sighed. "Always on the move," he muttered.

Anakin marched down the hall, ignoring all strange looks and a few concerned questions about how Ahsoka was. _Geez, did everyone know her and what had happened?_

"Anakin?"

Anakin tuned into this voice. He didn't have a choice. Obi-wan had cut him off.

"Where are you going?" Obi-wan asked, concerned. _Concerned, concerned. Yes everyone was concerned. But was anyone doing anything about anything. No._

"To the communications room," he answered, sidestepping his old master.

Obi-wan grabbed his arm. "Slow down. Why?"

Anakin gave an exasperated huff. "Walk and talk, Obi-wan. Walk and talk," he said pulling against Obi-wan's hold.

"Fine," Obi-wan replied, following. "Now answer me."

"I'm going to talk to Brianna to find out what I can do. I can't just sit here. I'll go mad!"

"I believe you're just about there already. Anakin, there's nothing you can do. It's up to them now."

"Look," Anakin said sharply. "Rex told me that Brianna said she has a few theories. If I can do nothing but test those theories, then that what I'll do. Now either help me or don't, but don't slow me down."

"Oh I don't think anything could slow you down," Obi-wan stated dryly. "And I'm not going to try. But I am going to come with you, if for no other reason than to keep you from losing your head."

Anakin glared at Obi-wan but didn't respond. There was really no point.

Finally, they made it to the communications room. Anakin immediately called Brianna. Her blue form soon appeared on the holotable.

"Hello Master Jedi," she greeted solemnly. "You must be good at your job. I was just about to call you.

"Why?" Anakin replied, completely skipping the pleasantries. He was sure Obi-wan had something to say about that but he really didn't care.

"I've fabricated a few theories and run some tests," Brianna said. "I came up with a few formulas that looked like they may work. I tried one on Atristian. It'll take a few more doses, but she's responding well. She's recovering now."

Anakin couldn't believe his ears. Relief and gratitude swelled in his chest. "So," he started once he found his voice. "You- you found a cure."

Brianna didn't respond.

_Oh no. _"What is it?"

"Master Jedi. I tried the formula on a portion of my sample of Ahsoka's blood, but it had no lasting effect. It seemed to cure it at first, but within an hour, the poison came back full force. If we give it to Ahsoka, she'll die even sooner. You see-" she continued on, but Anakin couldn't stand to listen.

All the hope and relief was gone and he was right back where he was before.

Except worse. Because now, there really was nothing. The only thing that could have healed Ahsoka was not going to work. And she would die.

He had failed.

In some distant portion of his mind, Anakin heard Obi-wan ask Brianna if there was anything she could at all she could do. But it didn't matter. Because there wasn't. He didn't even bother listening to the response.

Anakin wanted to turn his head away and hide his face, sure that tears had flooded his eyes. But he couldn't move; he was just frozen.

"But there _is_ a chance that it might work." The words penetrated Anakin's thoughts because there was hope in them.

Anakin blinked, barely noting that there was no wetness in his eyes. He suddenly realized that the conversation that he'd been tuning out because it wasn't discussing anything that mattered, _did_ matter.

"Yes there is. Theoretically, it should work but there would be no way to test it," Brianna responded.

"What?" Anakin asked.

Obi-wan turned to him. "Brianna was saying there still might be a way to save your Padawan."

"How?" he asked, turning to the small holoform on Brianna.

"By a blood purifier. It would filter the blood and clear out the toxin. It would take a while, but, as I said, theoretically, it should work," Brianna stated.

"So what's stopping you?" Anakin asked. He hadn't meant to sound so rude, but there wasn't any time to waste.

"Well as I was trying to say, there would be no way to test it," Brianna asserted. "It wouldn't be like an anti-toxin that could be proven to work. If we started pumping Ahsoka's blood though it and I was wrong..."

"Then Ahsoka would be no worse off than she is now. It's her only hope," Anakin insisted.

"But I don't even have that kind of ability. I might be able to figure out the design, but I don't even begin to have the knowledge or skill required to actually put it together, or to-"

"I'm on my way," Anakin cut her off. Then, without waiting for a response, he bolted for the door.

* * *

**Atristian's Pov**

Atristian leaned forward in her chair to hear Brianna's conversation with the Jedi. She was still a bit weak from the effects of the poison, but she felt significantly better than she had two days ago. Now Ahsoka dominated her concern.

When the Atristian saw Ahsoka's master suddenly darted out of the hologram, she strained to pull herself up and walk over to see what they were discussing. She caught the beginning of the older Jedi's statement.

"Anakin is very gifted in mechanics. If you can guide him in what to do, he can do the actual building."

Brianna nodded. "Then I shall make the designs immediately."

"Thank you. We are very grateful."

"Not at all, Master Jedi."

The hologram cut off and Brianna turned.

"You told them about the blood purifier?" Atristian inquired.

Brianna nodded. "They wanted to know if there was any way. I felt I should tell them."

"I agree. But do they know all the risks?"

"I told them there was no way of testing it. And that I wasn't completely sure. But Skywalker still wanted to try it."

"I don't blame him. I want to try it too," Atristian replied.

"Yes. Well I suppose I should get to work," Brianna stated. Then she turned and to look over the notes that she had made when she first considered the idea. Hopefully, it would work as well as in her calculations.

* * *

**Lol, I don't feel guilty about clifthangers anymore. Now I just take joy in the fun, and occasionally quite creatively entertaining, reviews y'all send in because of them. lol **


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Don't own Stars wars or any of the charactors. Thanks to George Lucas for being this creative! :-)

**Hey guys. I really am very, _very_ sorry about the wait. I just had a lot of stuff to finish and I had no time to sit down and work on it. But it's here now! Hope ya like it!**

* * *

Anakin bent over the work table as he struggled to weld another wire into place on the small machine in front of him. He was having an issue with holding the wires steady with his gloved hand.

He'd already taken one glove off, but kept on the one over his mechanical hand. Normally, he would have taken it off as well, but Brianna stood nearby and his robotic appendage wasn't a subject he felt like conversing about right now. And so this added to an already large pile of frustrating things weighing Anakin's mind.

Anakin had been working on the blood purifier for nearly two days. He had received a call a few hours ago from the Healing Ward, stating that Ahsoka's condition was starting to deteriorate again.

Anakin almost didn't need to be told. He could feel his young Padawan beginning to slip away. He was only too aware that time was running out. That fact was making him rush, which made the small, tedious work, like welding these blasted wires, all the more difficult.

"Is there any way I can be of assistance?" Brianna said softly.

Anakin had been too absorbed in his work to sense her approach. He clenched his jaw for a moment to keep from sounding rude. "I don't think so." His voice still sounded curt.

Anakin truly wasn't irritated with the scientist. If anything, he was grateful for all she had done. This thought helped him to soften his tone. "Judging from your designs, I should be almost finished. The problem now is getting everything connected." Anakin hoped desperately that his haste wasn't causing him to make a mistake. He'd already placed in multiple tubes and sensors meant to clean the blood. Every time he moved, he had to check to be sure he hadn't hit something out of place.

Too little time to be careful, but too important to tolerate a mistake.

An impossible line to walk.

_Good thing I've done the impossible before, _he thought, wryly. Anakin knew most people called his confidence arrogance or cockiness. He supposed it could come off that way. But the way he saw it, if you possessed the power, you also possessed the rights to brag a bit, right? It made sense.

However, even _his_ normal self-assurance was beginning to dwindle as of late.

Shaking out of his revere and refusing to think of anything but finishing the machine, Anakin refocused on the wires held under his fingertips. He lowered the soldering gun back to piece and used the force to hold the wire steady.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brianna walk away from him. She walked to the far side of the large room to the cot that sat flush with the wall. Picking up something from a nearby counter, Brianna handed a small breathing mask to Atristian, who was sitting upon the small bed. The breathing mask contained the treatment for Atristian's illness.

As a whitish, smoke-like substance rose from the mask, Atristian, breathing in the vapors, leaned against the wall with her eyes fixed on a data pad. No doubt the data pad contained flashes of blueprints and information on the blood purifier.

Though the younger sister didn't know very much about machinery either, she and Brianna had been going over the numbers and figures ever since Anakin had begun work. They were trying to pick out any inconsistencies that may lead to a mistake. So far, they'd found only one, and that was a while ago. Anakin could sense their confidence and hope beginning to grow.

Piece by piece, the machine came closer and closer to completion. As minutes passed, Anakin got into a kind of rhythm that made the parts fit together easily and helped him tune out everything else. This was how Anakin found peace in tinkering. When he was working on a project, nothing else existed. It was a much simpler mindset.

Eventually, Anakin brought his head up and allowed his nose to inhale something besides soldering smoke. Releasing a breath, he set down his tools and picked up a small power source. After twisting it into place, his creation hummed to life. Soft blue lights lit up different areas.

Anakin swallowed. "It's working," he said, hardly able to speak above a whisper.

Somehow, the Sheii sisters were able to hear his words. Brianna approached his work station. Atristian, after setting the mask aside, pulled herself to her feet to follow. When they reached the table, they simultaneously leaned over it, both resting their hands on the table's surface.

For a moment, all was silent as they watched the gentle blue glow and listened to the nearly inaudible humming. Not a one of them offered their thoughts.

Then, Anakin reached out and deactivated the machine, acting on the wild thought that the power source might give out too soon. Then he stood and stared at the sisters, who, in turn, stared back.

"Well, time to see if we're as good as we think we are," he said, as he scooped up the device.

"Or rather, as we need to be," Brianna amended.

* * *

Anakin stood across the room, arms crossed, as medical technicians set up the machine next to Ahsoka bed. His sharp blue eyes watch them as they worked.

"How is it going?" Obi-wan asked, suddenly appearing next to him.

Anakin turned and looked at him, confused. When had he come in?

Shaking off that thought, he answered him. "They're preparing to start."

Obi-wan nodded, then dropped into silence.

This silence continued for a few minutes as the two of them watched the activity in the room. It seemed like Anakin spent most of his time in silence lately. He scowled at that thought.

"Um, Anakin maybe you should wait outside until they're ready to start," Obi-wan stated slowly.

Again Anakin turned to him, raising an eyebrow in a questioning look.

Obi-wan cleared his throat softly then leaned in to speak low into his ear. "I can sense that you're making the technicians uncomfortable, Anakin. They aren't Jedi; they aren't used to your…slightly disturbing glares."

Anakin's eyes narrowed at Obi-wan. "I wasn't glaring," he insisted.

"Yes, well it looks that way to them," Obi-wan declared. "Just go outside for now. I'll let you know when they're done."

With an irritated, but resigned huff, Anakin whipped around and exited through the doorway.

Once outside, he resumed his former position of standing against the wall with his arms folded. He pursed his lips and glared at the wall in front of him. And yes, he would admit that this time, he was glaring.

There was no one in sight in the hallway outside the healing chamber. Anakin was glad to be alone. However, it allowed his mind to travel down dark avenues he knew it shouldn't go.

Cutting off his thoughts, Anakin lowered himself, cross-legged, to the floor and closed his eyes. Normally, Anakin hated meditating, and now was no exception. But he knew he should probably calm down before something bad happened. At the very least before he had to sit through another lecture from Obi-wan about anger.

Breathing deeply, Anakin relaxed and focused on feeling the force.

A few minutes later, Anakin sensed Obi-wan, and opened his eyes to see Obi-wan coming out the door.

Taking in his position on the floor, Obi-wan looked confused. "Were you meditating?"

Anakin let out a non-committed "mmm" before getting up. "Are they starting yet?"

"About," Obi-wan replied.

Anakin nodded then walked past Obi-wan back into the healing ward.

One of the technicians was leaning over Ahsoka slipping needles into both arms and her chest.

The machine was turned on and started to glow. Anakin cringed when Ahsoka's body stiffened as blood began flowing through the clear tubes. However, Ahsoka showed no sign of waking.

One of the healers walked up to Anakin and Obi-wan. "Now we wait," he said softly. "The full process will take a day or more to complete."

"How long until we know if it's working?" Anakin asked. "Or if it's not," he added morbidly.

The healer gave a small shake of his head and an even smaller shrug. "A few hours at best. If it works, she'll slowly start to improve. And her rate of improvement will increase as more of her blood is cleaned." The healer signed. "If it doesn't-" But Anakin turned away and the man didn't finish.

Time seemed to crawl by as Anakin waited. He took a seat and the foot of her bed and watched her for any sign of improvement. It was rather strange. First, Ahsoka would get really pale. Anakin almost called one of the healers, he made him so concerned. But then, color would come flooding back and she would flush a very dark shade of red. Even for her. That too, would make Anakin worry. But then, a few minutes later, she would return to normal.

This process of paling and flushing continued for hours, until Anakin finally looked away. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to look in the healing ward, so he just stared at the wall.

Still time crept by till Anakin eventually allowed himself to drift off the sleep.

* * *

Anakin didn't know how much time had passed, but when he felt someone touch his arm, he awoke immediately. He looked up to see the healer standing there.

Anakin sensed the Jedi was pleased and knew even before the man spoke that whatever he was about to say was good.

"Great news, Master Skywalker," the healer said, with a small smile. "The machine is working and your Padawan is improving. She will be fine."

* * *

**Well, only one more chapter, guys! It should be up in a couple days. It's already started. anyways, Thanks for hanging in there with me! and please review. There were a couple of things in this chapter that I wasn't sure about. So really, if there's something in here that's kinda 'eh', please let me know. I always like getting better. :-) Thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Final chapter is here at last! My bad for taking so long. I really did have it all planned out, but apparently, I didn't include a certain part in one of the earlier chapter that was fairly important in the ending conversation. But anyway, had to rethink it. Okay, here ya go! **

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* * *

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Anakin held his breath as Ahsoka's eyelids began to flutter for the first time in days. When they opened, Ahsoka's blue were almost clear. A bit red and unfocused, but so much brighter. She blinked a few times before focusing on him.

"Hi Master," she said, her voice a bit scratchy.

"Hey Ahsoka," he replied, a relived smile breaking through on his face. "At least this time I don't have to sit here and drag it from _you_ how you are this time."

Ahsoka made a face, and then asked hesitatingly, "Well...how am I?"

"Brianna found a treatment for the poison," Anakin told her. "A blood purifier." He nodded to the machine sitting nearby and then to the tubes connecting her to it. "It's working."

Ahsoka glanced at the blood flowing through the tubes and wrinkled her nose. "That's disgusting. But remind me to thank her," she said after a few moments.

Anakin nodded. "Besides that, you also have a couple broken ribs, a few pretty serious burns, and then whatever damage the Magnaguards staffs caused. You'll probably need a night in a bacta tank after your blood is clean. But after that... you'll be fine."

Ahsoka smiled. Then she turned back to Anakin with a strange look on her face. "So, I'm cured?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow, confused by her tone of voice. "Well, it'll take about another day or two to completely cure you-" he began.

"Yes but, technically, I am cured. I'm going to be fine," she cut in.

"Yeah," Anakin responded, still unsure at where this was going.

Ahsoka nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but then seemed to change her mind. "Never mind. I'll ask later."

Anakin sighed, irritated.

"But I do have a question."

"What?"

"What were you thinking about the last time we spoke? You were going to say something but stopped. And it was going to be important, I could sense it."

Anakin knit his eyebrows, thinking. What in the world was she talking about? Anakin shook his head slowly. "I don't know. What were we talking about?"

"I was telling you that you couldn't prevent everything, then you said 'but I knew…' then you stopped. What did you know?"

_Now _Anakin remembered. He had almost told her about his visions, then decided against it. Should he tell her now? He glanced up at her face, debating.

Apparently, Ahsoka took that as _'I'm not going to tell you.'_ "Master!" she snapped. "Tell me."

Anakin sighed. He didn't have much of a choice now. He'd never hear the end of it if he didn't. "Okay," he conceded. He wasn't sure how to start. "Before all of this started," he began, slowly, thinking as he went. "While we were on our way back to Coruscant-"

"The night you came into my room?"

"Yeah. I'd… had a dream. A vision."

"About me."

Her voice was certain. A statement, not a question.

He looked at her, surprised she'd made the jump that quickly. "Yes."

"I kinda suspected that. What happened?"

Not wanted to go into details, he simply said, "Pretty much what happened on the mission. It looked like you got hurt. I wasn't really sure what had happened so I just prepared for anything." He paused for a moment, deciding it was time to clarify something. "That's why I didn't want you out of my sight, Ahsoka. Not because I didn't trust you. I just didn't know what was going to happen."

"Okay that I understand," Ahsoka stated. "But why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have reacted the way I did if I'd known _why._" Irritation was seeping into her voice.

"Because I didn't want to scare you," he said, reacting to her annoyance and speaking a bit louder than was necessary. "I didn't want you to be acting differently because of something that might not even happen."

"But _you_acted differently," Ahsoka commented. "And because you acted differently, I acted differently. If you'd just told me, then we could've worked together on it."

Anakin was getting ticked off. "Ahsoka, you -"

"And if it might not even happen," Ahsoka broke in heatedly. "Then why was it such a big deal?"

"Well if you knew something was up, why didn't _you _say something?"

"Because, I assumed if it was that bad, or_ about me,_ you wouldn't have kept it from me!"

"Hmm, well I think the little detail you kept from me was a little bit more urgent than the _dream_ I kept from you!"

Ahsoka's eyemarks knitted angrily. "Evidently not, since you took the extra effort to lie to me about it!"

His expression mirroring his Padawan's, Anakin nearly shouted, "I told you! I just didn't want-"

Again, Ahsoka didn't let him finish. "Master, remember a few days ago when I told you I'd been poisoned and you were mad cause I didn't tell you? Remember I said that I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry?" Ahsoka paused to take a breath. "You said, and I quote, 'you should have let me worry about that.' We both did the same thing. Didn't trust each other."

Anakin crossed his arms. "Well," he began, pausing for a moment in case Ahsoka was planning to interrupt again. "It looks like we _both _have something to apologize for."

Ahsoka didn't comment, and they continued to wordlessly stare each other down.

After a few long minutes of strained silence, their anger began to ebb and made room for a little shame.

Ahsoka sighed and looked down for a moment. "Master, I really am sorry I lied to you."

Anakin sensed her guilt. "I know you are. I'm sorry too."

Ahsoka looked back up, but waited a long, awkward minute before speaking. "So, now that this is over... are you made at me?"

Anakin now understood her earlier words. He'd told her to ask him again when she was cured if he was anger at her. He thought for a moment, wanting to be truthful with her. "No. On one condition," he said eventually, holding up a single finger.

His Padawan raised a white eyemark. "Your anger has conditions?"

"This time it does."

Ahsoka was silent, waiting for him to continue.

"You have to promise me that you will _never_ keep something like this from me again," he stated firmly.

"Wait," Ahsoka said. "You have to promise too! What about your dreams!"

"Hey, this is my condition. Add that to your own."

"Can't we just promise no more secrets?" Ahsoka asked, tiredly.

Anakin thought for a moment. He couldn't really promise _no_ more secrets. "How about no more secrets that involve the other?" he qualified after a moment more of thought. "Everybody has some secrets."

Ahsoka smiled. "That's true," she said mischievously, making Anakin wonder what secrets she had.

After a minute more, Ahsoka nodded. "Deal. No more dangerous secrets at the very least."

"Okay. Sounds good," Anakin stated, then glanced over his shoulder at an irritated healer slowly making his way over. "Now, you should probably at least pretend to be asleep before a healer comes over and yells at us for all the noise we were making. I already almost got in trouble earlier."

Ahsoka giggled. "I believe it. You might want to make a run for it, Master."

"Yeah...," Anakin said, sneaking a look at the man. "… I'll be back soon. Meanwhile, you get some sleep. You've still got a few days of recovery."

"Wonderful," Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes. Then she smiled. "Good night Master."

Anakin smiled in return as he stood up. "Good night, Snips."

* * *

**Well guys! It's been fun! :-) I hope you guys like it. For all of you who have asked, I am going to be writing more stories about Anakin and Ahsoka. I have two in mind right now, so I'll have to decide which one to do. I might post something with a summary of each story, and ask y'all which one you'd like first. (I absolutely hate making decisions. lol) So Anyways, let me know what you guys think of the story! And thank y'all for everything!**


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